GHSA-293q-567p-wmwq
MEDIUMGHSA-293q-567p-wmwq is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.8) Improper Authentication vulnerability in org.springframework.security:spring-security-web. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-293q-567p-wmwq is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Spring Security Vulnerable to Unauthorized User Impersonation when Using X.509 Client Certificates
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
- 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 GHSA-293q-567p-wmwq.
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
GHSA-293q-567p-wmwq 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 0 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-web☕org.springframework.security:spring-security-web☕org.springframework.security:spring-security-web☕org.springframework.security:spring-security-web☕org.springframework.security:spring-security-webReal-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
In Spring Security Web, SubjectDnX509PrincipalExtractor does not correctly handle certain malformed X.509 certificate CN values, which can lead to reading the wrong value for the username. In a carefully crafted certificate, this can lead to an attacker impersonating another user.
SubjectDnX509PrincipalExtractor is deprecated by this CVE and replaced with SubjectX500PrincipalExtractor. As part of updating, you should also migrate to SubjectX500PrincipalExtractor.
Affected versions: Spring Security Enterprise 5.7.0 through 5.7.24; 5.8.0 through 5.8.26; 6.3.0 through 6.3.17; 6.4.0 through 6.4.17; 6.5.0 through 6.5.10. OSS 6.5.0 through 6.5.10.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.security:spring-security-web | ≥ 6.5.0&&< 6.5.11 | 6.5.11 |
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.security:spring-security-web | ≥ 6.4.0 | No fix |
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.security:spring-security-web | ≥ 6.0.0 | No fix |
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.security:spring-security-web | ≥ 5.8.0 | No fix |
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.security:spring-security-web | all versions | No fix |
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-web. 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 org.springframework.security:spring-security-web to 6.5.11 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-293q-567p-wmwq 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 GHSA-293q-567p-wmwq 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 GHSA-293q-567p-wmwq. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-293q-567p-wmwq in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-293q-567p-wmwq across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.