CVE-2022-31679 is a vulnerability identified in Spring Data REST, a popular framework used to expose Spring Data repositories as RESTful web services. This vulnerability affects versions prior to 3.6.7 and 3.7.3, including versions 3.6.0 - 3.6.6, 3.7.0 - 3.7.2, and older unsupported versions. The issue arises when applications allow HTTP PATCH requests to resources exposed by Spring Data REST. If an attacker has knowledge of the underlying domain model's structure, they can craft specially designed HTTP PATCH requests that bypass intended access controls and expose hidden entity attributes that should not be accessible. This unintended data exposure can reveal sensitive information that the application developers intended to keep private or restricted. The vulnerability does not require authentication or user interaction, but it does require the attacker to understand the domain model structure to exploit it effectively. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 3.7, indicating a low severity level, with the vector indicating network attack vector (AV:N), high attack complexity (AC:H), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), and limited confidentiality impact (C:L). There are no known exploits in the wild as of the published date, and no patches are explicitly linked in the provided data, though fixed versions are available. The vulnerability primarily impacts confidentiality without affecting integrity or availability.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2022-31679 depends largely on their use of Spring Data REST in their web applications and APIs. Organizations that expose sensitive data through REST endpoints using vulnerable versions of Spring Data REST risk unintended disclosure of hidden entity attributes, potentially leaking confidential business data, personal data protected under GDPR, or intellectual property. Although the severity is rated low, the confidentiality breach could lead to compliance issues, reputational damage, and potential legal consequences under European data protection regulations. The vulnerability does not affect system integrity or availability, so operational disruption is unlikely. However, attackers with knowledge of the domain model could leverage this data exposure as a foothold for further attacks or social engineering. The risk is higher for organizations with complex domain models exposing sensitive attributes and those lacking strict API access controls or monitoring. Given the widespread use of Spring frameworks in Europe’s software development ecosystem, this vulnerability could affect a broad range of sectors including finance, healthcare, government, and technology companies.

European organizations should immediately assess their use of Spring Data REST and identify any applications running affected versions prior to 3.6.7 and 3.7.3. The primary mitigation is to upgrade to the fixed versions of Spring Data REST where this vulnerability has been addressed. If immediate upgrading is not feasible, organizations should implement strict API access controls, including authentication and authorization checks on PATCH endpoints to prevent unauthorized access. Additionally, review and minimize the exposure of sensitive entity attributes in REST resources, employing DTOs (Data Transfer Objects) or view models that exclude sensitive fields. Implement thorough input validation and monitoring of PATCH requests to detect anomalous or crafted requests. Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to block suspicious PATCH requests targeting REST endpoints. Regularly audit and test APIs for unintended data exposure using security testing tools and penetration testing. Finally, ensure that logging and alerting mechanisms are in place to detect exploitation attempts promptly.