CVE-2023-20861

CVE-2023-20861 is a medium-severity uncontrolled resource consumption vulnerability in org.springframework:spring-expression (maven), affecting versions >= 6.0.0, < 6.0.7. It is fixed in 6.0.7, 5.3.26, 5.2.23.RELEASE.

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Summary

Spring Framework vulnerable to denial of service via specially crafted SpEL expression

In Spring Framework versions 6.0.0 - 6.0.6, 5.3.0 - 5.3.25, 5.2.0.RELEASE - 5.2.22.RELEASE, and older unsupported versions, it is possible for a user to provide a specially crafted SpEL expression that may cause a denial-of-service (DoS) condition.

Impact

Crafted input forces the application to consume excessive CPU, memory, or other resources, degrading or denying service. Typical impact: denial of service.

CVE-2023-20861 has a CVSS score of 6.5 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, low 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 (6.0.7, 5.3.26, 5.2.23.RELEASE); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

org.springframework:spring-expression (>= 6.0.0, < 6.0.7) org.springframework:spring-expression (>= 5.3.0, < 5.3.26) org.springframework:spring-expression (< 5.2.23.RELEASE)

Security releases

org.springframework:spring-expression → 6.0.7 (maven) org.springframework:spring-expression → 5.3.26 (maven) org.springframework:spring-expression → 5.2.23.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 the following packages to resolve this vulnerability:

org.springframework:spring-expression to 6.0.7 or later; org.springframework:spring-expression to 5.3.26 or later; org.springframework:spring-expression to 5.2.23.RELEASE or later

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

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is CVE-2023-20861? CVE-2023-20861 is a medium-severity uncontrolled resource consumption vulnerability in org.springframework:spring-expression (maven), affecting versions >= 6.0.0, < 6.0.7. It is fixed in 6.0.7, 5.3.26, 5.2.23.RELEASE. Crafted input forces the application to consume excessive CPU, memory, or other resources, degrading or denying service.
  2. How severe is CVE-2023-20861? CVE-2023-20861 has a CVSS score of 6.5 (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.
  3. Which versions of org.springframework:spring-expression are affected by CVE-2023-20861? org.springframework:spring-expression (maven) versions >= 6.0.0, < 6.0.7 is affected.
  4. Is there a fix for CVE-2023-20861? Yes. CVE-2023-20861 is fixed in 6.0.7, 5.3.26, 5.2.23.RELEASE. Upgrade to this version or later.
  5. Is CVE-2023-20861 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-20861 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
  6. What actually determines whether CVE-2023-20861 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.
  7. How do I fix CVE-2023-20861?
    • Upgrade org.springframework:spring-expression to 6.0.7 or later
    • Upgrade org.springframework:spring-expression to 5.3.26 or later
    • Upgrade org.springframework:spring-expression to 5.2.23.RELEASE or later

Other vulnerabilities in org.springframework:spring-expression

CVE-IDSeverityPackage summary
CVE-2024-38808Mediumorg.springframework:spring-expression: Spring Framework vulnerable to Denial of ServiceCVE-2023-20863Highorg.springframework:spring-expression: Spring Framework vulnerable to denial of serviceCVE-2022-22950Mediumorg.springframework:spring-expression: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling in Spring Framework

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