CVE-2025-41248
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Spring Security's annotation detection mechanism can lead to authorization bypass when using @PreAuthorize and other method security annotations on methods in generic superclasses or interfaces. Only applications using @EnableMethodSecurity with security annotations on methods in generic type hierarchies are affected. This allows attackers to bypass intended access controls on protected methods.
💻 Affected Systems
- Spring Security
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete authorization bypass allowing unauthorized access to all protected methods and sensitive data/functionality in affected applications.
Likely Case
Partial authorization bypass affecting specific methods with security annotations in generic type hierarchies, potentially exposing sensitive operations or data.
If Mitigated
No impact if proper authentication and additional authorization layers exist, or if affected configurations are not used.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires understanding of application's authorization structure and generic type hierarchies. Attackers need to identify vulnerable method configurations.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Check Spring Security advisory for specific patched versions
Vendor Advisory: https://spring.io/security/cve-2025-41248
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Review Spring Security advisory for affected versions
2. Update Spring Security to patched version
3. Restart application
4. Verify authorization annotations work correctly
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Avoid generic type hierarchies for secured methods
allMove security annotations from methods in generic superclasses/interfaces to concrete implementations or avoid using unbounded generics in secured type hierarchies.
Disable method security if not needed
allRemove @EnableMethodSecurity annotation if method-level security is not required for your application.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement additional authorization checks at controller/service layer
- Use network segmentation and strict access controls to limit exposure of affected applications
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Review codebase for @EnableMethodSecurity usage and check if security annotations are applied to methods in generic superclasses or interfaces with unbounded generics.Check Version:
Check Spring Security version in pom.xml (Maven) or build.gradle (Gradle) dependenciesVerify Fix Applied:
After patching, test authorization controls on methods in generic type hierarchies to ensure they are properly enforced.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unauthorized access attempts to protected methods
- Authorization failures or successes that don't match expected patterns
Network Indicators:
- Unusual access patterns to API endpoints that should be restricted
SIEM Query:
Search for authentication success events followed by access to sensitive endpoints without proper authorization context