# CVE-2025-22234: spring-security-core — Fixed in 6.3.9 ☕ ☕ Maven Not in CISA KEV MEDIUM severity # CVE-2025-22234 — spring-security-core MEDIUM CVE-2025-22234 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.3) CWE-208 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. Spring Security has a broken timing attack mitigation implemented in DaoAuthenticationProvide Published Jan 22, 2026 Updated Feb 3, 2026 Affected 2 pkgs Patched 2 / 2 Exploits None indexed Exploitation data as of Nov 8, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS) ## Exploitation Status ### No confirmed exploitation observed yet - CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks. - 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-2025-22234. ## EPSS Exploitation Probability [via FIRST.org ↗](https://www.first.org/epss/) 0.4%probability of exploitation in next 30 days Lower Risk0.00% Lower risk than most CVEs33th percentile — riskier than 33% of all scored CVEsHighest risk 0.00%0.30%0.61%0.91%0.0%0.4%May 26Sep 26Nov 26 Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from [FIRST.org EPSS](https://www.first.org/epss/). ## How urgent is this, really ## Where this sits among everything scored ## Real-World Exposure 2 pkgs affected ☕`org.springframework.security:spring-security-core`☕`org.springframework.security:spring-security-core` Real-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 fix applied in CVE-2025-22228 inadvertently broke the timing attack mitigation implemented in DaoAuthenticationProvider. This can allow attackers to infer valid usernames or other authentication behavior via response-time differences under certain configurations. ## Affected Packages 2 total 2 fixed Ecosystem Package Vulnerable range Fix ☕Maven `org.springframework.security:spring-security-core` ≥ 6.3.8&&< 6.3.9 6.3.9`org.springframework.security:spring-security-core:6.3.9` ☕Maven `org.springframework.security:spring-security-core` ≥ 6.4.4&&< 6.4.5 6.4.5`org.springframework.security:spring-security-core:6.4.5` ## Detection & mitigation playbook Open-source dependency 1. ### Detect 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. 2. ### Fix Update org.springframework.security:spring-security-core to 6.3.9 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2025-22234 is resolved across your whole dependency graph. 3. ### 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. ## 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. Red HatModerate Workaround published by Red Hat > Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options do not meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base or stability. Source: [Red Hat security advisory for CVE-2025-22234](https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/cve-2025-22234) (CC BY 4.0) ## Frequently Asked Questions The fix applied in CVE-2025-22228 inadvertently broke the timing attack mitigation implemented in DaoAuthenticationProvider. This can allow attackers to infer valid usernames or other authentication behavior via response-time differences under certain configurations. O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA ### Is CVE-2025-22234 in your dependencies? Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies. [Scan my dependencies](/book-demo) [How O3 SCA works](/impact-aware-sca)