CSRF attack via CORS preflight requests with Spring MVC or Spring WebFlux
Spring Framework, versions 5.2.x prior to 5.2.3 are vulnerable to CSRF attacks through CORS preflight requests that target Spring MVC (spring-webmvc module) or Spring WebFlux (spring-webflux module) endpoints. Only non-authenticated endpoints are vulnerable because preflight requests should not include credentials and therefore requests should fail authentication. However a notable exception to this are Chrome based browsers when using client certificates for authentication since Chrome sends TLS client certificates in CORS preflight requests in violation of spec requirements. No HTTP body can be sent or received as a result of this attack.
Affected software
Click a technology to see all vulnerabilities affecting it.
| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.springframework:spring-webflux | >= 5.2.0, < 5.2.3 | 5.2.3 |
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.springframework:spring-webmvc | >= 5.2.0, < 5.2.3 | 5.2.3 |
References
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-5397
- https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/commit/bc7d01048579430b4b2df668178809b63d3f1929
- https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework
- https://pivotal.io/security/cve-2020-5397
- https://www.oracle.com//security-alerts/cpujul2021.html
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2020.html
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2020.html
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2022.html
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2020.html
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2021.html
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-352- Platform
- Java / Kotlin (Maven)
- Package
org.springframework:spring-webflux, org.springframework:spring-webmvc- Disclosed
- 21.01.2020
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 12:21
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-7pm4-g2qj-j85x - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: org.springframework:spring-webflux
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Java / Kotlin (Maven)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 20
- First → latest
- 01.2020 08.2026
- Without a fix
- 1
- Exploited in attacks
- 1
Severity breakdown
- Critical 3
- High 4
- Medium 11
- Low 2
Disclosures per year
- 2020: 2
- 2021: 0
- 2022: 1
- 2023: 0
- 2024: 2
- 2025: 0
- 2026: 15
-
CSRF attack via CORS preflight requests with Spring MVC or Spring WebFlux this entry
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