CVE-2014-3527: Spring Framework Authorization Bypass Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-wmv4-5w76-vp9g
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-287
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2014-3527 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) authorization bypass vulnerability (CWE-287: Improper Authentication) affecting Spring Framework libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves authorization bypass in spring security. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.1.7, 3.2.5.

CVE-2014-3527 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2014-3527
GHSA Identifier GHSA-wmv4-5w76-vp9g
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-287: Improper Authentication
Affected Product Spring Framework
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2014-3527

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Spring Framework dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

org.springframework.security:spring-security-core fixed: 3.1.7 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.security</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-security-core</artifactId>
    <version>3.1.7</version>
</dependency>
org.springframework.security:spring-security-core fixed: 3.2.5 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.security</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-security-core</artifactId>
    <version>3.2.5</version>
</dependency>
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.springframework.security

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2014-3527, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.springframework.security

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Spring Framework in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.1.7), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.springframework.security command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-287: Improper Authentication, where when an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct. In Spring Framework, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

When using Spring Security's CAS Proxy ticket authentication a malicious CAS Service could trick another CAS Service into authenticating a proxy ticket that was not associated. This is due to the fact that the proxy ticket authentication uses the information from the HttpServletRequest which is populated based upon untrusted information within the HTTP request. This means if there are access control restrictions on which CAS services can authenticate to one another, those restrictions can be bypassed. If users are not using CAS Proxy tickets and not basing access control decisions based upon the CAS Service, then there is no impact to users. ## Mitigation Users of affected versions should apply the following mitigation: - Users of 3.2x should upgrade to 3.2.5 or later - Users of 3.1.x should upgrade to 3.1.7 or later ## Credit This issue was identified by David Ohsie and brought to our attention by the CAS Development team.

CVE-2014-3527 Affected Spring Framework Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.1.73.2.5
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.springframework.security:spring-security-core
maven/org.springframework.security/spring-security-core
Maven
< 3.1.7
3.1.7
org.springframework.security:spring-security-core
maven/org.springframework.security/spring-security-core
Maven
≥ 3.2.0
< 3.2.5
3.2.5

References

NVD — CVE-2014-3527 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-3527
Spring Framework Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-security/issues/2907
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-security/commit/934937d9c1dc20c396b96c08310b72cfa627acb
Spring Framework Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-security
Spring Framework Security Information SECURITY
https://pivotal.io/security/cve-2014-3527

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2014-3527?
CVE-2014-3527 is a security vulnerability in Spring Framework involving Authorization Bypass in Spring Security under CWE-287: Improper Authentication.
Which Spring Framework versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.1.7, 3.2.5 across affected packages: org.springframework.security:spring-security-core.
What version fixes CVE-2014-3527?
Upgrading to 3.1.7, 3.2.5 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is spring-security-core affected?
Yes, org.springframework.security:spring-security-core is affected in releases prior to 3.1.7, 3.2.5. Upgrade your dependency to 3.1.7, 3.2.5 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2014-3527?
CVE-2014-3527 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2014-3527?
CVE-2014-3527 is classified under CWE-287: Improper Authentication (When an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2014-3527?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.springframework.security'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-wmv4-5w76-vp9g",
  "modified" : "2024-04-16T16:11:56Z",
  "published" : "2020-09-15T20:16:22Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2014-3527" ],
  "summary" : "Authorization Bypass in Spring Security",
  "details" : "When using Spring Security's CAS Proxy ticket authentication a malicious CAS Service could trick another CAS Service into authenticating a proxy ticket that was not associated. This is due to the fact that the proxy ticket authentication uses the information from the HttpServletRequest which is populated based upon untrusted information within the HTTP request.\n\nThis means if there are access control restrictions on which CAS services can authenticate to one another, those restrictions can be bypassed.\n\nIf users are not using CAS Proxy tickets and not basing access control decisions based upon the CAS Service, then there is no impact to users.\n\n## Mitigation\nUsers of affected versions should apply the following mitigation:\n- Users of 3.2x should upgrade to 3.2.5 or later\n- Users of 3.1.x should upgrade to 3.1.7 or later\n\n## Credit\nThis issue was identified by David Ohsie and brought to our attention by the CAS Development team.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.springframework.security:spring-security-core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.1.7"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.springframework.security:spring-security-core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.2.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.2.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-3527"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-security/issues/2907"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-security/commit/934937d9c1dc20c396b96c08310b72cfa627acb"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-security"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://pivotal.io/security/cve-2014-3527"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-287" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-09-15T20:16:07Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2017-05-25T17:29:00Z"
  }
}