CVE-2023-38286
HIGHCVE-2023-38286 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) CWE-77 vulnerability in de.codecentric:spring-boot-admin-server. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2023-38286 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Spring-boot-admin sandbox bypass via crafted HTML
Blast Radius
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 and other products, allows 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.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | de.codecentric:spring-boot-admin-server | ≥ 3.0.0&&< 3.1.2 | 3.1.2 |
| ☕Maven | de.codecentric:spring-boot-admin-server | all versions | 2.7.16 |
Research 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. 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 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
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-2023-38286 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-2023-38286. 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-2023-38286 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2023-38286 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.