Overview
A critical vulnerability has been identified in the Spring Cloud Gateway Server Webflux, which may leave applications susceptible to Spring Environment property modification. Applications using this server alongside specific dependencies and configurations are at risk. If exploited, this vulnerability could potentially lead to system compromise or data leakage. Given the CVSS severity score of 10.0, it’s crucial for organizations to understand, identify, and mitigate this vulnerability promptly.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-41243
Severity: Critical (CVSS: 10.0)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Spring Cloud Gateway Server Webflux | All versions with Spring Boot actuator as a dependency
How the Exploit Works
This vulnerability arises when an application is using the Spring Cloud Gateway Server Webflux, the Spring Boot actuator is a dependency, and the Spring Cloud Gateway Server Webflux actuator web endpoint is enabled via management.endpoints.web.exposure.include=gateway.
When the actuator endpoints are unsecured and available to attackers, they can modify the Spring Environment properties. This manipulation can have multiple implications, allowing attackers to change the application’s behavior or access sensitive data, leading to potential system compromise or data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
Below is a conceptual example of how this vulnerability might be exploited. This might be an HTTP request sent by an attacker:
POST /actuator/env HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{
"name": "SPRING_PROPERTY",
"value": "malicious_value"
}An attacker could send a POST request to the /actuator/env endpoint to modify a Spring Environment property. This modification could lead to unintended application behavior or sensitive data exposure.
To mitigate this vulnerability, it is recommended to apply the vendor patch immediately. If this is not possible, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as a temporary mitigation measure. However, these should not replace the necessity of patching and securing the application properly.
