CVE-2023-34042 is a medium-severity (CVSS 4.1) CWE-732 vulnerability in org.springframework.security:spring-security-config. A fix is available for org.springframework.security:spring-security-config — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Spring Security's spring-security.xsd file is world writable
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2023-34042.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2023-34042 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 378,567 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
org.springframework.security:spring-security-config☕org.springframework.security:spring-security-config☕org.springframework.security:spring-security-config☕org.springframework.security:spring-security-configReal-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
The spring-security.xsd file inside the spring-security-config jar is world writable which means that if it were extracted it could be written by anyone with access to the file system.
While there are no known exploits, this is an example of “CWE-732: Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource” and could result in an exploit. Users should update to the latest version of Spring Security to mitigate any future exploits found around this issue.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.security:spring-security-config | ≥ 6.1.1&&< 6.1.4 | 6.1.4org.springframework.security:spring-security-config:6.1.4 |
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.security:spring-security-config | ≥ 6.0.4&&< 6.0.7 | 6.0.7org.springframework.security:spring-security-config:6.0.7 |
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.security:spring-security-config | ≥ 5.8.4&&< 5.8.7 | 5.8.7org.springframework.security:spring-security-config:5.8.7 |
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.security:spring-security-config | ≥ 5.7.9&&< 5.7.11 | 5.7.11org.springframework.security:spring-security-config:5.7.11 |
Detection & 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-config, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.springframework.security:spring-security-config to 6.1.4 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-34042 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 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2023-34042 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2023-34042. 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-2023-34042 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2023-34042 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.