Summary
Dev error stack trace leaking into prod in Play Framework
Workarounds
When constructing a CORSFilter or CORSActionBuilder, ensure that a properly-configured error handler is passed. Generally this should be done by using the HttpErrorHandler instance provided through dependency injection or through Play's BuiltInComponents. Ensure that your application is not using the DefaultHttpErrorHandler static object in any code that may be run in production.
References
https://www.playframework.com/documentation/2.8.x/ScalaErrorHandling#Supplying-a-custom-error-handler
https://www.playframework.com/documentation/2.8.x/JavaErrorHandling#Supplying-a-custom-error-handler
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in playframework/playframework
- Email us at [email protected]
Impact
Play Framework, when run in dev mode, shows verbose errors for easy debugging, including an exception stack trace. Play does this by configuring its DefaultHttpErrorHandler to do so based on the application mode. In its Scala API Play also provides a static object DefaultHttpErrorHandler that is configured to always show verbose errors. This is used as a default value in some Play APIs, so it is possible to inadvertently use this version in production. It is also possible to improperly configure the DefaultHttpErrorHandler object instance as the injected error handler. Both of these situations could result in verbose errors displaying to users in a production application, which could expose sensitive information from the application.
In particular the constructor for CORSFilter and apply method for CORSActionBuilder use the static object DefaultHttpErrorHandler as a default value.
CVE-2022-31023 has a CVSS score of 5.9 (Medium). 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 (2.8.16); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
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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This is patched in Play Framework 2.8.16. The DefaultHttpErrorHandler object has been changed to use the prod-mode behavior, and DevHttpErrorHandler has been introduced for the dev-mode behavior.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2022-31023? CVE-2022-31023 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in com.typesafe.play:play_2.12 (maven), affecting versions < 2.8.16. It is fixed in 2.8.16.
- How severe is CVE-2022-31023? CVE-2022-31023 has a CVSS score of 5.9 (Medium). 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 packages are affected by CVE-2022-31023?
com.typesafe.play:play_2.12(maven) (versions < 2.8.16)com.typesafe.play:play_2.13(maven) (versions < 2.8.16)
- Is there a fix for CVE-2022-31023? Yes. CVE-2022-31023 is fixed in 2.8.16. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2022-31023 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-31023 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-2022-31023 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-2022-31023?
- Upgrade
com.typesafe.play:play_2.12to 2.8.16 or later - Upgrade
com.typesafe.play:play_2.13to 2.8.16 or later
- Upgrade