CVE-2019-11272: Spring Framework Insufficiently Protected Credentials And Improper Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-v33x-prhc-gph5
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CVSS 7.3
CWE-287 CWE-522
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2019-11272 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.3) insufficiently protected credentials and improper vulnerability (CWE-287: Improper Authentication) affecting Spring Framework libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves insufficiently protected credentials and improper authentication in spring security. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.2.13, 4.2.13.RELEASE.

CVE-2019-11272 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2019-11272
GHSA Identifier GHSA-v33x-prhc-gph5
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.3
CWE Classification CWE-287: Improper Authentication
Affected Product Spring Framework
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.3

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:L/I:L/A:L).

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 Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability Low (A:L)

How to Fix CVE-2019-11272

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: 4.2.13 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.security</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-security-core</artifactId>
    <version>4.2.13</version>
</dependency>
org.springframework.security:spring-security-cas fixed: 4.2.13.RELEASE 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.security</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-security-cas</artifactId>
    <version>4.2.13.RELEASE</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-2019-11272, 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 4.2.13), 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

Spring Security, versions 4.2.x up to 4.2.12, and older unsupported versions support plain text passwords using PlaintextPasswordEncoder. If an application using an affected version of Spring Security is leveraging PlaintextPasswordEncoder and a user has a null encoded password, a malicious user (or attacker) can authenticate using a password of ?null?.

CVE-2019-11272 Affected Spring Framework Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.2.134.2.13.RELEASE
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.springframework.security:spring-security-core
maven/org.springframework.security/spring-security-core
Maven
< 4.2.13
4.2.13
org.springframework.security:spring-security-cas
maven/org.springframework.security/spring-security-cas
Maven
< 4.2.13.RELEASE
4.2.13.RELEASE

References

NVD — CVE-2019-11272 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-11272
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/07/msg00008.html
Spring Framework Security Information SECURITY
https://pivotal.io/security/cve-2019-11272

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-11272?
CVE-2019-11272 is a security vulnerability in Spring Framework involving Insufficiently Protected Credentials and Improper Authentication in Spring Security under CWE-287: Improper Authentication.
Which Spring Framework versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.2.13, 4.2.13.RELEASE across affected packages: org.springframework.security:spring-security-core, org.springframework.security:spring-security-cas.
What version fixes CVE-2019-11272?
Upgrading to 4.2.13, 4.2.13.RELEASE (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 4.2.13. Upgrade your dependency to 4.2.13 or later.
Is spring-security-cas affected?
Yes, org.springframework.security:spring-security-cas is affected in releases prior to 4.2.13.RELEASE. Upgrade your dependency to 4.2.13.RELEASE or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-11272?
CVE-2019-11272 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.3 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2019-11272?
CVE-2019-11272 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-2019-11272?
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-v33x-prhc-gph5",
  "modified" : "2021-06-09T20:12:57Z",
  "published" : "2019-06-27T17:24:58Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2019-11272" ],
  "summary" : "Insufficiently Protected Credentials and Improper Authentication in Spring Security",
  "details" : "Spring Security, versions 4.2.x up to 4.2.12, and older unsupported versions support plain text passwords using PlaintextPasswordEncoder. If an application using an affected version of Spring Security is leveraging PlaintextPasswordEncoder and a user has a null encoded password, a malicious user (or attacker) can authenticate using a password of ?null?.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.springframework.security:spring-security-core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.2.13"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 4.2.12"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.springframework.security:spring-security-cas"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.2.13.RELEASE"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 4.2.12.RELEASE"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-11272"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/07/msg00008.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://pivotal.io/security/cve-2019-11272"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-287", "CWE-522" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2019-06-27T17:23:36Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2019-06-26T14:15:00Z"
  }
}