CVE-2023-38286 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) CWE-77 vulnerability in de.codecentric:spring-boot-admin-server. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for de.codecentric:spring-boot-admin-server — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Spring-boot-admin sandbox bypass via crafted HTML
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2023-38286.
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
de.codecentric:spring-boot-admin-server☕de.codecentric:spring-boot-admin-serverReal-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
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.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | de.codecentric:spring-boot-admin-server | ≥ 3.0.0&&< 3.1.2 | 3.1.2de.codecentric:spring-boot-admin-server:3.1.2 |
| ☕Maven | de.codecentric:spring-boot-admin-server | all versions | 2.7.16de.codecentric:spring-boot-admin-server:2.7.16 |
Affected Products
spring boot admincodecentricthymeleafthymeleafResearch use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for de.codecentric:spring-boot-admin-server, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update de.codecentric:spring-boot-admin-server to 3.1.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-38286 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Stop passing untrusted input into the interpreter or shell: call the affected binary with an argument array rather than a composed command string, reject anything outside a strict allowlist of expected values, and run the component under an account that cannot reach beyond the work it legitimately does.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2023-38286 in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.