CVE-2020-5413
CRITICALCVE-2020-5413 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in org.springframework.integration:spring-integration-core. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2020-5413 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Code execution in Spring Integration
Real-World Exposure
org.springframework.integration:spring-integration-core☕org.springframework.integration:spring-integration-core☕org.springframework.integration:spring-integration-core☕org.springframework.integration:spring-integration-coreReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Spring Integration framework provides Kryo Codec implementations as an alternative for Java (de)serialization. When Kryo is configured with default options, all unregistered classes are resolved on demand. This leads to the "deserialization gadgets" exploit when provided data contains malicious code for execution during deserialization. In order to protect against this type of attack, Kryo can be configured to require a set of trusted classes for (de)serialization. Spring Integration should be proactive against blocking unknown "deserialization gadgets" when configuring Kryo in code.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.integration:spring-integration-core | ≥ 4.3.0&&< 4.3.23 | 4.3.23 |
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.integration:spring-integration-core | ≥ 5.3.0&&< 5.3.2 | 5.3.2 |
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.integration:spring-integration-core | ≥ 5.1.0&&< 5.1.12 | 5.1.12 |
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.integration:spring-integration-core | ≥ 5.2.0&&< 5.2.8 | 5.2.8 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.springframework.integration:spring-integration-core. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update org.springframework.integration:spring-integration-core to 4.3.23 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2020-5413 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2020-5413 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2020-5413. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2020-5413 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2020-5413 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.