Play Framework is a web framework for Java and Scala. Verions prior to 2.8.16 are vulnerable to generation of error messages containing sensitive information. Play Framework, when run in dev mode, shows verbose errors for easy debugging, including an exception stack trace. Play does this by configuring its `DefaultHttpErrorHandler` to do so based on the application mode. In its Scala API Play also provides a static object `DefaultHttpErrorHandler` that is configured to always show verbose errors. This is used as a default value in some Play APIs, so it is possible to inadvertently use this version in production. It is also possible to improperly configure the `DefaultHttpErrorHandler` object instance as the injected error handler. Both of these situations could result in verbose errors displaying to users in a production application, which could expose sensitive information from the application. In particular, the constructor for `CORSFilter` and `apply` method for `CORSActionBuilder` use the static object `DefaultHttpErrorHandler` as a default value. This is patched in Play Framework 2.8.16. The `DefaultHttpErrorHandler` object has been changed to use the prod-mode behavior, and `DevHttpErrorHandler` has been introduced for the dev-mode behavior. A workaround is available. When constructing a `CORSFilter` or `CORSActionBuilder`, ensure that a properly-configured error handler is passed. Generally this should be done by using the `HttpErrorHandler` instance provided through dependency injection or through Play's `BuiltInComponents`. Ensure that the application is not using the `DefaultHttpErrorHandler` static object in any code that may be run in production.
This vulnerability carries a MEDIUM severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.9, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network but requires specific conditions to be met without requiring user interaction and does not require pre-existing privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), for affected systems. Impacting 1 product from lightbend organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.
Reported in 2022, this vulnerability emerged during an era marked by increased sophistication in supply chain attacks, cloud infrastructure vulnerabilities, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) security challenges. Security practices during this period emphasized zero-trust architectures, container security, and API protection.
2022-06-02T18:15:09.820
2026-06-17T04:44:37.600
Modified
CVSSv3.1: 5.9 (MEDIUM)
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
10.0
2.9
| Type | Vendor | Product | Version/Range | Vulnerable? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application | lightbend | play_framework | < 2.8.16 | Yes |
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 lightbend'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.