CVE-2025-41242VulnerabilityPublished 18 Aug 2025Updated 25 Aug 2025

CVE-2025-41242: VMware Spring Framework · Path Traversal

Affects VMware Spring FrameworkSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · public detection template (Nuclei) · CVSS 5.9 Medium · fixed in 6.3.0 : update VMware Spring Framework when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 07:57 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.9Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 2.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 81% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 6.3.0, 6.2.0, 5.4.0

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: High
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: High: A successful attack depends on conditions beyond the attacker's control. That is, a successful attack cannot be accomplished at will, but requires the attacker to invest in some measurable amount of effort in preparation or execution against the vulnerable component before a successful attack can be expected. For example, a successful attack may require an attacker to: gather knowledge about the environment in which the vulnerable target/component exists; prepare the target environment to improve exploit reliability; or inject themselves into the logical network path between the target and the resource requested by the victim in order to read and/or modify network communications (e.g., a man in the middle attack).
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 18 Aug 2025
Detectable: evidence found.
nuclei template: Spring Framework - Path Traversal
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-26.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade VMware Spring Framework to 6.3.0, 6.2.0 or 5.4.0.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
VMware Spring Framework	Affected >=6.2.0 <6.3.0 >=6.1.0 <6.2.0 >=5.3.0 <5.4.0	Fixed in 6.3.0 6.2.0 5.4.0

AI-suggested

1. Upgrade Spring Framework to the latest patched versions as recommended by VMware to ensure the vulnerability is addressed at the framework level. 2. Verify and enforce that the Servlet container in use complies with the Jakarta Servlet 6.1 specification for URI path canonicalization, ensuring it rejects suspicious path sequences. 3. For Apache Tomcat and Eclipse Jetty users, confirm that default security features are enabled and have not been disabled or weakened through configuration changes. 4. Conduct a thorough review of static resource serving configurations in Spring MVC applications to ensure no unintended exposure of sensitive directories. 5. Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block path traversal attempts targeting static resource endpoints. 6. Perform security testing, including fuzzing and penetration testing, focusing on path traversal vectors in the deployment environment. 7. Monitor application logs for suspicious access patterns indicative of path traversal attempts. 8. Educate development and operations teams about secure deployment practices for Servlet containers and Spring applications to prevent misconfigurations that could expose this vulnerability.

Description

Spring Framework MVC applications can be vulnerable to a “Path Traversal Vulnerability” when deployed on a non-compliant Servlet container. An application can be vulnerable when all the following are true: * the application is deployed as a WAR or with an embedded Servlet container * the Servlet container does not reject suspicious sequences https://jakarta.ee/specifications/servlet/6.1/jakarta-servlet-spec-6.1.html#uri-path-canonicalization * the application serves static resources https://docs.spring.io/spring-framework/reference/web/webmvc/mvc-config/static-resources.html#page-title with Spring resource handling We have verified that applications deployed on Apache Tomcat or Eclipse Jetty are not vulnerable, as long as default security features are not disabled in the configuration. Because we cannot check exploits against all Servlet containers and configuration variants, we strongly recommend upgrading your application.

Impact

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a moderate risk primarily to web applications built using the Spring Framework that serve static resources and are deployed on Servlet containers that do not enforce proper URI path canonicalization. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to read sensitive files on the server, potentially exposing confidential data such as configuration files, credentials, or personal data protected under GDPR. This could lead to data breaches, regulatory fines, and reputational damage. Since the vulnerability does not affect integrity or availability, the main concern is unauthorized data disclosure. Organizations relying on custom or less common Servlet containers, or those with modified default security settings in Tomcat or Jetty, are at higher risk. The medium CVSS score indicates that exploitation requires a higher level of attack complexity, reducing the likelihood of widespread automated attacks but still posing a threat to targeted attacks. The lack of known exploits in the wild suggests limited current active exploitation, but the potential impact on confidentiality and the widespread use of Spring Framework in Europe’s enterprise and public sectors warrant proactive mitigation.

CWE-22Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighCWE Top 25 (2025): #6OWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.
Implementation · Input Validation
Assume all input is malicious. Use an "accept known good" input validation strategy, i.e., use a list of acceptable inputs that strictly conform to specifications. Reject any input that does not strictly conform to specifications, or transform it into something that does.
Architecture and Design
For any security checks that are performed on the client side, ensure that these checks are duplicated on the server side, in order to avoid CWE-602. Attackers can bypass the client-side checks by modifying values after the checks have been performed, or by changing the client to remove the client-side checks…
Implementation · Input Validation
Inputs should be decoded and canonicalized to the application's current internal representation before being validated (CWE-180). Make sure that the application does not decode the same input twice (CWE-174).
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V12.3.1 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Path Traversal (opens in a new tab)
Using Slashes and URL Encoding Combined to Bypass Validation Logic (opens in a new tab)
Manipulating Web Input to File System Calls (opens in a new tab)
Using Escaped Slashes in Alternate Encoding (opens in a new tab)
Using Slashes in Alternate Encoding (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

spring.io/security/cve-2025-41242 (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 26 Aug 2025, 00:38 UTC

Public exploits and detectiona Nuclei detection template

WeaknessesCWE-22

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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