Summary
Spring-boot-admin sandbox bypass via crafted HTML
Thymeleaf through 3.1.1.RELEASE as used in spring-boot-admin (aka Spring Boot Admin) through 3.1.1 allows for a sandbox bypass via crafted HTML. This may be relevant for SSTI (Server Side Template Injection) and code execution in spring-boot-admin if MailNotifier is enabled and there is write access to environment variables via the UI.
Spring Boot Admin 3.1.2 and 2.7.16 contain mitigations for the issue. This bypass is achived via a library called Thymeleaf which has added counter measures for this sort of bypass in version 3.1.2.RELEASE which has explicity forbidden static access to org.springframework.util in expressions. Thymeleaf itself should not be considered vulnerable.
Impact
Untrusted input is inserted into a command that is later executed by the application, allowing the attacker to alter the intent of that command. Typical impact: arbitrary command execution in the application's environment.
CVE-2023-38286 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). 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 (3.1.2, 2.7.16); 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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de.codecentric:spring-boot-admin-server to 3.1.2 or later; de.codecentric:spring-boot-admin-server to 2.7.16 or later
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2023-38286? CVE-2023-38286 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in de.codecentric:spring-boot-admin-server (maven), affecting versions >= 3.0.0, < 3.1.2. It is fixed in 3.1.2, 2.7.16. Untrusted input is inserted into a command that is later executed by the application, allowing the attacker to alter the intent of that command.
- How severe is CVE-2023-38286? CVE-2023-38286 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (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 de.codecentric:spring-boot-admin-server are affected by CVE-2023-38286? de.codecentric:spring-boot-admin-server (maven) versions >= 3.0.0, < 3.1.2 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2023-38286? Yes. CVE-2023-38286 is fixed in 3.1.2, 2.7.16. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2023-38286 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-38286 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-2023-38286 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-2023-38286?
- Upgrade
de.codecentric:spring-boot-admin-serverto 3.1.2 or later - Upgrade
de.codecentric:spring-boot-admin-serverto 2.7.16 or later
- Upgrade