Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2016-9879


An issue was discovered in Pivotal Spring Security before 3.2.10, 4.1.x before 4.1.4, and 4.2.x before 4.2.1. Spring Security does not consider URL path parameters when processing security constraints. By adding a URL path parameter with an encoded "/" to a request, an attacker may be able to bypass a security constraint. The root cause of this issue is a lack of clarity regarding the handling of path parameters in the Servlet Specification. Some Servlet containers include path parameters in the value returned for getPathInfo() and some do not. Spring Security uses the value returned by getPathInfo() as part of the process of mapping requests to security constraints. The unexpected presence of path parameters can cause a constraint to be bypassed. Users of Apache Tomcat (all current versions) are not affected by this vulnerability since Tomcat follows the guidance previously provided by the Servlet Expert group and strips path parameters from the value returned by getContextPath(), getServletPath(), and getPathInfo(). Users of other Servlet containers based on Apache Tomcat may or may not be affected depending on whether or not the handling of path parameters has been modified. Users of IBM WebSphere Application Server 8.5.x are known to be affected. Users of other containers that implement the Servlet specification may be affected.


Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.5, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction and does not require pre-existing privileges . The vulnerability impacts integrity (unauthorized modifications), for affected systems. Impacting 2 products from vmware, from ibm organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

First disclosed in 2017, this vulnerability was reported during a period defined by widespread IoT adoption challenges, mobile security concerns, and the emergence of advanced persistent threat (APT) techniques. Contemporary mitigation strategies focused on secure development practices and third-party component vetting.


Published

2017-01-06T22:59:00.360

Last Modified

2025-04-20T01:37:25.860

Status

Deferred

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.0: 7.5 (HIGH)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N

  • Access Vector: NETWORK
  • Access Complexity: LOW
  • Authentication: NONE
  • Confidentiality Impact: NONE
  • Integrity Impact: PARTIAL
  • Availability Impact: NONE
Exploitability Score

10.0

Impact Score

2.9

Weaknesses
  • Type: Primary
    CWE-417

Affected Vendors & Products
Type Vendor Product Version/Range Vulnerable?
Application vmware spring_security 3.2.0 Yes
Application vmware spring_security 3.2.1 Yes
Application vmware spring_security 3.2.2 Yes
Application vmware spring_security 3.2.3 Yes
Application vmware spring_security 3.2.4 Yes
Application vmware spring_security 3.2.5 Yes
Application vmware spring_security 3.2.6 Yes
Application vmware spring_security 3.2.7 Yes
Application vmware spring_security 3.2.8 Yes
Application vmware spring_security 3.2.9 Yes
Application vmware spring_security 4.1.0 Yes
Application vmware spring_security 4.1.1 Yes
Application vmware spring_security 4.1.2 Yes
Application vmware spring_security 4.1.3 Yes
Application vmware spring_security 4.2.0 Yes
Application ibm websphere_application_server 8.5.0.0 Yes
Application ibm websphere_application_server 8.5.0.1 Yes
Application ibm websphere_application_server 8.5.0.2 Yes
Application ibm websphere_application_server 8.5.5.0 Yes
Application ibm websphere_application_server 8.5.5.1 Yes
Application ibm websphere_application_server 8.5.5.2 Yes
Application ibm websphere_application_server 8.5.5.3 Yes
Application ibm websphere_application_server 8.5.5.4 Yes
Application ibm websphere_application_server 8.5.5.5 Yes
Application ibm websphere_application_server 8.5.5.6 Yes
Application ibm websphere_application_server 8.5.5.7 Yes
Application ibm websphere_application_server 8.5.5.8 Yes
Application ibm websphere_application_server 8.5.5.9 Yes

References

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For vmware's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.