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Not in CISA KEV
HIGH severity

CVE-2026-40981 — spring-cloud-config-server

HIGH

CVE-2026-40981 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) CWE-639 vulnerability in org.springframework.cloud:spring-cloud-config-server. A fix is available for org.springframework.cloud:spring-cloud-config-server — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Spring Cloud Config has an Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key

Also known asGHSA-2mh5-3cw6-hrrq
Published
Updated
Affected
5 pkgs
Patched
2 / 5
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-2026-40981.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗
0.4%probability of exploitation in next 30 days
Lower Risk0.00%
Lower risk than most CVEs38th percentile — riskier than 38% of all scored CVEsHighest risk
0.00%0.33%0.65%0.98%0.0%0.4%Jun 26Sep 26Nov 26

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

5 pkgs affected
☕org.springframework.cloud:spring-cloud-config-server☕org.springframework.cloud:spring-cloud-config-server☕org.springframework.cloud:spring-cloud-config-server☕org.springframework.cloud:spring-cloud-config-server☕org.springframework.cloud:spring-cloud-config-server

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

When using Google Secrets Manager as a backend for the Spring Cloud Config server a client can craft a request to the config server potentially exposing secrets from unintended GCP projects. Spring Cloud Config 3.1.x: affected from 3.1.0 through 3.1.13 (inclusive); upgrade to 3.1.14 or greater (Enterprise Support Only). Spring Cloud Config 4.1.x: affected from 4.1.0 through 4.1.9 (inclusive); upgrade to 4.1.10 or greater (Enterprise Support Only). Spring Cloud Config 4.2.x: affected from 4.2.0 through 4.2.6 (inclusive); upgrade to 4.2.7 or greater (Enterprise Support Only). Spring Cloud Config 4.3.x: affected from 4.3.0 through 4.3.2 (inclusive); upgrade to 4.3.3 or greater. Spring Cloud Config 5.0.x: affected from 5.0.0 through 5.0.2 (inclusive); upgrade to 5.0.3 or greater.

Affected Packages

5 total 2 fixed
EcosystemPackageVulnerable rangeFix
☕Mavenorg.springframework.cloud:spring-cloud-config-server≥ 3.1.0No fix
☕Mavenorg.springframework.cloud:spring-cloud-config-server≥ 4.1.0No fix
☕Mavenorg.springframework.cloud:spring-cloud-config-server≥ 4.2.0No fix
☕Mavenorg.springframework.cloud:spring-cloud-config-server≥ 4.3.0&&< 4.3.34.3.3org.springframework.cloud:spring-cloud-config-server:4.3.3
☕Mavenorg.springframework.cloud:spring-cloud-config-server≥ 5.0.0&&< 5.0.35.0.3org.springframework.cloud:spring-cloud-config-server:5.0.3

Affected Products

1 product · 5 configurations
Application
spring cloud configvmware
≥ 5.0.0 && < 5.0.3
range

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.cloud:spring-cloud-config-server, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

  2. Fix

    A fix is available for CVE-2026-40981; check the affected-versions list above or the advisory for the patched release of org.springframework.cloud:spring-cloud-config-server, then make sure no transitive dependency still pins the vulnerable range.

  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 HatImportant
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-2026-40981 (CC BY 4.0)

Frequently Asked Questions

When using Google Secrets Manager as a backend for the Spring Cloud Config server a client can craft a request to the config server potentially exposing secrets from unintended GCP projects. Spring Cloud Config 3.1.x: affected from 3.1.0 through 3.1.13 (inclusive); upgrade to 3.1.14 or greater (Enterprise Support Only). Spring Cloud Config 4.1.x: affected from 4.1.0 through 4.1.9 (inclusive); upgrade to 4.1.10 or greater (Enterprise Support Only). Spring Cloud Config 4.2.x: affected from 4.2.0 through 4.2.6 (inclusive); upgrade to 4.2.7 or greater (Enterprise Support Only). Spring Cloud Config
O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

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CVE-2026-40981: spring-cloud-config — Fixed in 4.3.3