An issue was discovered in Pivotal Spring Security before 3.2.10, 4.1.x before 4.1.4, and 4.2.x before 4.2.1. Spring Security does not consider URL path parameters when processing security constraints. By adding a URL path parameter with an encoded "/" to a request, an attacker may be able to bypass a security constraint. The root cause of this issue is a lack of clarity regarding the handling of path parameters in the Servlet Specification. Some Servlet containers include path parameters in the value returned for getPathInfo() and some do not. Spring Security uses the value returned by getPathInfo() as part of the process of mapping requests to security constraints. The unexpected presence of path parameters can cause a constraint to be bypassed. Users of Apache Tomcat (all current versions) are not affected by this vulnerability since Tomcat follows the guidance previously provided by the Servlet Expert group and strips path parameters from the value returned by getContextPath(), getServletPath(), and getPathInfo(). Users of other Servlet containers based on Apache Tomcat may or may not be affected depending on whether or not the handling of path parameters has been modified. Users of IBM WebSphere Application Server 8.5.x are known to be affected. Users of other containers that implement the Servlet specification may be affected.
CVE-2016-9879 - Medium Severity Vulnerability
Vulnerable Library - spring-security-web-3.2.4.RELEASE.jar
spring-security-web
Library home page: http://spring.io/spring-security
Path to vulnerable library: /src/test/resources/webgoat/WEB-INF/lib/spring-security-web-3.2.4.RELEASE.jar
Dependency Hierarchy: - :x: **spring-security-web-3.2.4.RELEASE.jar** (Vulnerable Library)
Found in HEAD commit: e2144e84b1fdbf18c01c24e6ab9ade7b45b25283
Found in base branch: master
Vulnerability Details
An issue was discovered in Pivotal Spring Security before 3.2.10, 4.1.x before 4.1.4, and 4.2.x before 4.2.1. Spring Security does not consider URL path parameters when processing security constraints. By adding a URL path parameter with an encoded "/" to a request, an attacker may be able to bypass a security constraint. The root cause of this issue is a lack of clarity regarding the handling of path parameters in the Servlet Specification. Some Servlet containers include path parameters in the value returned for getPathInfo() and some do not. Spring Security uses the value returned by getPathInfo() as part of the process of mapping requests to security constraints. The unexpected presence of path parameters can cause a constraint to be bypassed. Users of Apache Tomcat (all current versions) are not affected by this vulnerability since Tomcat follows the guidance previously provided by the Servlet Expert group and strips path parameters from the value returned by getContextPath(), getServletPath(), and getPathInfo(). Users of other Servlet containers based on Apache Tomcat may or may not be affected depending on whether or not the handling of path parameters has been modified. Users of IBM WebSphere Application Server 8.5.x are known to be affected. Users of other containers that implement the Servlet specification may be affected.
Publish Date: 2017-01-06
URL: CVE-2016-9879
CVSS 3 Score Details (5.5)
Base Score Metrics: - Exploitability Metrics: - Attack Vector: Local - Attack Complexity: Low - Privileges Required: None - User Interaction: Required - Scope: Unchanged - Impact Metrics: - Confidentiality Impact: None - Integrity Impact: None - Availability Impact: High
For more information on CVSS3 Scores, click here.Suggested Fix
Type: Upgrade version
Origin: https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2016-9879
Release Date: 2017-01-06
Fix Resolution: 3.2.10.RELEASE