CVE-2021-22119 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) Uncontrolled Resource Consumption vulnerability in org.springframework.security:spring-security-core. A fix is available for org.springframework.security:spring-security-core — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Resource Exhaustion in Spring Security
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
Real-World Exposure
org.springframework.security:spring-security-core☕org.springframework.security:spring-security-core☕org.springframework.security:spring-security-core☕org.springframework.security:spring-security-core☕org.springframework.security:spring-security-oauth2-client☕org.springframework.security:spring-security-oauth2-client☕org.springframework.security:spring-security-oauth2-client☕org.springframework.security:spring-security-oauth2-clientReal-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 Security versions 5.5.x prior to 5.5.1, 5.4.x prior to 5.4.7, 5.3.x prior to 5.3.10 and 5.2.x prior to 5.2.11 are susceptible to a Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack via the initiation of the Authorization Request in an OAuth 2.0 Client Web and WebFlux application. A malicious user or attacker can send multiple requests initiating the Authorization Request for the Authorization Code Grant, which has the potential of exhausting system resources using a single session or multiple sessions.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.security:spring-security-core | ≥ 5.5.0&&< 5.5.1 | 5.5.1org.springframework.security:spring-security-core:5.5.1 |
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.security:spring-security-core | ≥ 5.4.0&&< 5.4.7 | 5.4.7org.springframework.security:spring-security-core:5.4.7 |
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.security:spring-security-core | ≥ 5.3.0&&< 5.3.10 | 5.3.10org.springframework.security:spring-security-core:5.3.10 |
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.security:spring-security-core | ≥ 5.2.0&&< 5.2.11 | 5.2.11org.springframework.security:spring-security-core:5.2.11 |
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.security:spring-security-oauth2-client | ≥ 5.5.0&&< 5.5.1 | 5.5.1org.springframework.security:spring-security-oauth2-client:5.5.1 |
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.security:spring-security-oauth2-client | ≥ 5.4.0&&< 5.4.7 | 5.4.7org.springframework.security:spring-security-oauth2-client:5.4.7 |
Affected Products
communications cloud native core policyoraclespring securityvmwareDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.springframework.security:spring-security-core, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.springframework.security:spring-security-core to 5.5.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2021-22119 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Put an independent control in front of the weakness: restrict the affected endpoint or interface to trusted networks, require an additional authentication factor or proxy-level check, and invalidate existing sessions and credentials in case the flaw has already been used.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Fuse 7.11 | spring-security-oauth2-client | RHSA-2022:5532 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2021-22119 in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.