GHSA-6mfm-98wv-32wm is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.4) Improper Authentication vulnerability in org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security. A fix is available for org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Spring Web Services: X.509 authentication bypasses Spring Security account checks
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- 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-6mfm-98wv-32wm.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-6mfm-98wv-32wm by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 382,795 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.
Real-World Exposure
org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security☕org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security☕org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security☕org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-securityReal-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
X509AuthenticationProvider could issue a fully authenticated X509AuthenticationToken when a presented certificate mapped to UserDetails, without applying Spring Security's standard account lifecycle checks (disabled, locked, expired, or credentials-expired accounts).
Affected versions: Spring Web Services 5.0.0 through 5.0.1; 4.1.0 through 4.1.3; 4.0.0 through 4.0.18; 3.1.0 through 3.1.8.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security | ≥ 5.0.0&&< 5.0.2 | 5.0.2org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security:5.0.2 |
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security | ≥ 4.1.0&&< 4.1.4 | 4.1.4org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security:4.1.4 |
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security | ≥ 4.0.0 | No fix |
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security | ≥ 3.1.0 | No fix |
Affected Products
spring web servicesbroadcomDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security to 5.0.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-6mfm-98wv-32wm is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Put an independent control in front of the weakness: restrict the affected endpoint or interface to trusted networks, require an additional authentication factor or proxy-level check, and invalidate existing sessions and credentials in case the flaw has already been used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-6mfm-98wv-32wm in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.