CVE-2016-1000027: Spring Framework Pivotal Spring Framework Contains Unsafe Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-4wrc-f8pq-fpqp
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-502
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-1000027 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) pivotal spring framework contains unsafe vulnerability (CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data) affecting Spring Framework libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves pivotal spring framework contains unsafe java deserialization methods. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 6.0.0.

CVE-2016-1000027 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-1000027
GHSA Identifier GHSA-4wrc-f8pq-fpqp
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data
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:3.1/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-2016-1000027

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:spring-web fixed: 6.0.0 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-web</artifactId>
    <version>6.0.0</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

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2016-1000027, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.springframework

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 6.0.0), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.springframework 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-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data, where the product deserializes untrusted data without sufficiently ensuring that the resulting data will be valid. 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

Pivotal Spring Framework before 6.0.0 suffers from a potential remote code execution (RCE) issue if used for Java deserialization of untrusted data. Depending on how the library is implemented within a product, this issue may or not occur, and authentication may be required. Maintainers recommend investigating alternative components or a potential mitigating control. Version 4.2.6 and 3.2.17 contain [enhanced documentation](https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/commit/5cbe90b2cd91b866a5a9586e460f311860e11cfa) advising users to take precautions against unsafe Java deserialization, version 5.3.0 [deprecate the impacted classes](https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/issues/25379) and version 6.0.0 [removed it entirely](https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/issues/27422).

CVE-2016-1000027 Affected Spring Framework Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
6.0.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.springframework:spring-web
maven/org.springframework/spring-web
Maven
< 6.0.0
6.0.0

References

NVD — CVE-2016-1000027 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-1000027
Spring Framework Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/issues/21680
Spring Framework Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/issues/24434
Spring Framework Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/issues/24434#issuecomment-1231625331
Spring Framework Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/issues/24434#issuecomment-579669626
Spring Framework Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/issues/24434#issuecomment-582313417
Spring Framework Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/issues/24434#issuecomment-744519525
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/commit/2b051b8b321768a4cfef83077db65c6328ffd60f
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/commit/5cbe90b2cd91b866a5a9586e460f311860e11cfa
Spring Framework Security Information SECURITY
https://www.tenable.com/security/research/tra-2016-20
Spring Framework Security Information SECURITY
https://support.contrastsecurity.com/hc/en-us/articles/4402400830612-Spring-web-Java-Deserialization-CVE-2016-1000027
spring.io/blog/2022/05/11/spr... WEB
https://spring.io/blog/2022/05/11/spring-framework-5-3-20-and-5-2-22-available-now
Spring Framework Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230420-0009
Spring Framework Security Information SECURITY
https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2016-1000027
jira.spring.io/browse/spr-17143 WEB
https://jira.spring.io/browse/SPR-17143?redirect=false
Spring Framework Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2016-1000027

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-1000027?
CVE-2016-1000027 is a security vulnerability in Spring Framework involving Pivotal Spring Framework contains unsafe Java deserialization methods under CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data.
Which Spring Framework versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 6.0.0 across affected packages: org.springframework:spring-web.
What version fixes CVE-2016-1000027?
Upgrading to 6.0.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is spring-web affected?
Yes, org.springframework:spring-web is affected in releases prior to 6.0.0. Upgrade your dependency to 6.0.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-1000027?
CVE-2016-1000027 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2016-1000027?
CVE-2016-1000027 is classified under CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data (The product deserializes untrusted data without sufficiently ensuring that the resulting data will be valid.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2016-1000027?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.springframework'. 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-4wrc-f8pq-fpqp",
  "modified" : "2023-06-01T19:56:26Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T17:05:30Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-1000027" ],
  "summary" : "Pivotal Spring Framework contains unsafe Java deserialization methods",
  "details" : "Pivotal Spring Framework before 6.0.0 suffers from a potential remote code execution (RCE) issue if used for Java deserialization of untrusted data. Depending on how the library is implemented within a product, this issue may or not occur, and authentication may be required.\n\nMaintainers recommend investigating alternative components or a potential mitigating control. Version 4.2.6 and 3.2.17 contain [enhanced documentation](https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/commit/5cbe90b2cd91b866a5a9586e460f311860e11cfa) advising users to take precautions against unsafe Java deserialization, version 5.3.0 [deprecate the impacted classes](https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/issues/25379) and version 6.0.0 [removed it entirely](https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/issues/27422).",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
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  } ],
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    },
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      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
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      }, {
        "fixed" : "6.0.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-1000027"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/issues/21680"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
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  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/issues/24434#issuecomment-1231625331"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/issues/24434#issuecomment-579669626"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/issues/24434#issuecomment-582313417"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/issues/24434#issuecomment-744519525"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/commit/2b051b8b321768a4cfef83077db65c6328ffd60f"
  }, {
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    "url" : "https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/commit/5cbe90b2cd91b866a5a9586e460f311860e11cfa"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.tenable.com/security/research/tra-2016-20"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://support.contrastsecurity.com/hc/en-us/articles/4402400830612-Spring-web-Java-Deserialization-CVE-2016-1000027"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://spring.io/blog/2022/05/11/spring-framework-5-3-20-and-5-2-22-available-now"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230420-0009"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2016-1000027"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://jira.spring.io/browse/SPR-17143?redirect=false"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2016-1000027"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-502" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-11-14T19:52:40Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-01-02T23:15:00Z"
  }
}