How severe is CVE-2018-1256?

CVE-2018-1256 has a CVSS score of 8.1 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Which versions of io.pivotal.spring.cloud:spring-cloud-sso-connector are affected by CVE-2018-1256?

io.pivotal.spring.cloud:spring-cloud-sso-connector (maven) versions = 2.1.2.RELEASE is affected.

Is there a fix for CVE-2018-1256?

Yes. CVE-2018-1256 is fixed in 2.1.3.RELEASE. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2018-1256 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2018-1256 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk.

What actually determines whether CVE-2018-1256 is exploitable, and how bad it is?

Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.

CVE-2018-1256

Summary

Issuer validation regression in Spring Cloud SSO Connector

Spring Cloud SSO Connector, version 2.1.2, contains a regression which disables issuer validation in resource servers that are not bound to the SSO service. In PCF deployments with multiple SSO service plans, a remote attacker can authenticate to unbound resource servers which use this version of the SSO Connector with tokens generated from another service plan.

Mitigation

Users of affected versions should apply the following mitigation:

Releases that have fixed this issue include:
- Spring Cloud SSO Connector: 2.1.3
Alternatively, you can perform one of the following workarounds:
- Bind your resource server to the SSO service plan via a service instance binding
- Set “sso.connector.cloud.available=true” within your Spring application properties

Impact

CVE-2018-1256 has a CVSS score of 8.1 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (2.1.3.RELEASE); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

io.pivotal.spring.cloud:spring-cloud-sso-connector (= 2.1.2.RELEASE)

Security releases

io.pivotal.spring.cloud:spring-cloud-sso-connector → 2.1.3.RELEASE (maven)

Kodem intelligence

Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.

Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.

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Remediation advice

Upgrade io.pivotal.spring.cloud:spring-cloud-sso-connector to 2.1.3.RELEASE or later to resolve this vulnerability.

Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-1256? CVE-2018-1256 is a high-severity security vulnerability in io.pivotal.spring.cloud:spring-cloud-sso-connector (maven), affecting versions = 2.1.2.RELEASE. It is fixed in 2.1.3.RELEASE.
How severe is CVE-2018-1256? CVE-2018-1256 has a CVSS score of 8.1 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
Which versions of io.pivotal.spring.cloud:spring-cloud-sso-connector are affected by CVE-2018-1256? io.pivotal.spring.cloud:spring-cloud-sso-connector (maven) versions = 2.1.2.RELEASE is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2018-1256? Yes. CVE-2018-1256 is fixed in 2.1.3.RELEASE. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2018-1256 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2018-1256 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
What actually determines whether CVE-2018-1256 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
How do I fix CVE-2018-1256? Upgrade io.pivotal.spring.cloud:spring-cloud-sso-connector to 2.1.3.RELEASE or later.