CVE-2025-41234: Spring Web RFD Vulnerability

by SLV Team 45 views
CVE-2025-41234: Spring Web Reflected File Download Vulnerability

Hey everyone! Today, we're diving into a medium-severity vulnerability, CVE-2025-41234, detected in the spring-web-6.1.6.jar library. This issue falls under the category of a Reflected File Download (RFD) attack within the Spring Web framework. So, let's break down what this means for your applications and how to address it.

Vulnerability Overview

The Affected Library: spring-web-6.1.6.jar

First things first, let's identify the culprit. The vulnerability resides in spring-web-6.1.6.jar. This library is a crucial component of the Spring Framework, widely used for building web applications. It handles the HTTP request and response mechanisms, making it an essential part of the application's architecture. You can find more about the Spring Framework here.

The vulnerability was identified in the pom.xml file under the /secretsForGH/pom.xml path. Looking at the dependency hierarchy, spring-web-6.1.6.jar is a dependency of spring-boot-starter-web-3.2.5.jar via spring-boot-starter-json-3.2.5.jar. So, if you're using spring-boot-starter-web, you're likely pulling in the vulnerable library. It was initially found in the HEAD commit bff1ccfe2e10a5e79fb7fb38573a2275298f1f7a on the main branch. This means the vulnerability is present in the current state of the codebase.

What is Reflected File Download (RFD)?

So, what exactly is an RFD attack? Imagine a scenario where an attacker crafts a malicious URL that, when visited, tricks the server into sending a file to the user. The file appears to originate from a trusted domain but contains malicious code. The user might unknowingly execute this code, leading to compromise. The attack occurs when the server reflects user-supplied input directly into the response without proper sanitization. In this case, the "Content-Disposition" header, specifically the filename attribute, is the attack vector when a non-ASCII charset is set.

The Specifics of CVE-2025-41234

In Spring Framework versions 6.0.x (up to 6.0.5), 6.1.x, and 6.2.x, a reflected file download (RFD) attack is possible. This happens when an application sets a Content-Disposition header with a non-ASCII charset, and the filename attribute is derived from user-supplied input. This can be exploited to trick users into downloading and executing malicious files.

Impact of the Vulnerability

The impact of this vulnerability can be significant. An attacker could potentially:

  • Distribute malware by tricking users into downloading and executing harmful files.
  • Gain unauthorized access to sensitive information if the executed file compromises the user's system.
  • Compromise the user's system by exploiting vulnerabilities in the downloaded file.

Technical Details and CVSS Score

CVSS 3.0 Score: 6.5 (Medium)

The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) gives this vulnerability a score of 6.5, classifying it as a medium-severity issue. Let's break down the components of this score:

  • Attack Vector (AV:N): Network. The attack can be launched remotely over the network.
  • Attack Complexity (AC:H): High. The attack requires specific conditions to be met, making it harder to exploit.
  • Privileges Required (PR:L): Low. The attacker needs minimal privileges to carry out the attack.
  • User Interaction (UI:R): Required. The attack requires the user to take some action, such as clicking a link or opening a file.
  • Scope (S:C): Changed. The vulnerability can affect resources beyond the attacker's control.
  • Confidentiality Impact (C:H): High. The attacker can gain access to sensitive information.
  • Integrity Impact (I:L): Low. The attacker can modify data but with limited scope.
  • Availability Impact (A:N): None. The attack does not affect the availability of the system.

For a deeper dive into CVSS scores, check out the CVSS 3.0 Calculator.

Mitigation and Remediation

The Fix: Upgrade Spring Web

The recommended solution is to upgrade to a patched version of Spring Web. Specifically, upgrade to either version 6.1.21 or 6.2.8 or later. These versions contain the necessary fixes to mitigate the RFD vulnerability.

The fix resolution is: org.springframework:spring-web:6.1.21, org.springframework:spring-web:6.2.8.

How to Upgrade

To upgrade, modify your project's pom.xml file (if you're using Maven) or build.gradle file (if you're using Gradle) to specify the updated version of spring-web. For Maven, it would look something like this:

<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-web</artifactId>
    <version>6.1.21</version> <!-- Or 6.2.8 -->
</dependency>

For Gradle:

dependencies {
    implementation("org.springframework:spring-web:6.1.21") // Or 6.2.8
}

After updating the dependency, rebuild your project to ensure the new version is used.

Additional Security Measures

Beyond upgrading, consider these additional security measures:

  • Input Validation: Always validate user input to prevent malicious data from entering your application.
  • Output Encoding: Encode output to ensure that data is properly rendered and doesn't introduce vulnerabilities.
  • Regular Security Audits: Conduct regular security audits to identify and address potential vulnerabilities.

Conclusion

CVE-2025-41234 presents a real risk to Spring Framework applications. By understanding the nature of the RFD vulnerability and taking the necessary steps to upgrade and implement additional security measures, you can protect your applications and users from potential attacks. Stay vigilant, keep your libraries updated, and happy coding!

For more details about the suggested fix, you can check https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-6r3c-xf4w-jxjm.