Cyberdudebivash

Date: September 15-16, 2025
Platforms: Java / Spring Boot / Spring Framework / Spring Security

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 What Are These CVEs

• CVE-2025-41248: An authorization bypass in Spring Security. The mechanism which resolves method security annotations (e.g. @PreAuthorize, @EnableMethodSecurity) fails to correctly detect annotations in certain type hierarchies when parameterized super-classes or interfaces with unbounded generics are involved. Home+1
• CVE-2025-41249: A related issue in Spring Framework itself — the annotation detection logic may similarly fail in method hierarchies and generic super types when unbounded generics are used. Applications using those annotations for authorization decisions are impacted. Home+1

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 Severity & Who Is Affected

Factor	Details
Severity	Medium level risk. Not immediately exploitable in all setups. But impact high for those using method level security in generic-type hierarchies. Home+1
Affected Features	@EnableMethodSecurity, @PreAuthorize, other method security annotations, when applied on generic superclasses/interfaces with unbounded type parameters. Home+1
Affected Versions	See table below. If you’re using older versions, especially Spring Security or Framework with method security + generics, you may be vulnerable. Home+2Home+2

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 Affected Versions & Patch Releases

Component	Affected Versions	Fixed Version
Spring Security	6.4.0 → 6.4.9 6.5.0 → 6.5.3	6.4.10 (OSS) 6.5.4 (OSS) Home+1
Spring Framework	6.2.0 → 6.2.10 6.1.0 → 6.1.22 5.3.0 → 5.3.44	6.2.11 (OSS) 6.1.23 (Commercial) 5.3.45 (Commercial) Home+1

Note: Versions prior to these (unsupported or EOL) are also vulnerable and may need commercial or supported hotfixes. Home+1

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 What the Risks Look Like in Practice

If your app is exposed:

• Attackers may call methods assumed to be secured (via annotations) but without the annotations being honored because they reside in generic superclasses. This leads to unauthorized access.
• For example, suppose you have:interface BaseService<T> { @PreAuthorize("hasRole('ADMIN')") void sensitiveMethod(T t); } class MyService implements BaseService<MyType> { public void sensitiveMethod(MyType t) { ... } } If the annotation detection fails in the BaseService generic type, sensitiveMethod in MyService may execute without checking the required role.
• Attack surface: internal APIs, microservices, methods declared on generic base classes or interfaces.

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 Mitigation & Remediation (what you should do now)

1. Upgrade Spring Security / Spring Framework
   • Move to the fixed versions listed above. OSS patches if available, or use commercial patches if in a supported version. Home+1
2. Audit your code for uses of method‐level security on generic types
   • Find places where @PreAuthorize, @PostAuthorize, etc., are on methods in generic superclasses or interfaces.
   • Consider moving those annotations to the concrete class (target class). This ensures the annotation is directly applied.
3. Review @EnableMethodSecurity usage
   • If you are using this feature, ensure that your method annotations are not solely in generic hierarchies.
4. Write unit/integration tests
   • Test that secured methods actually enforce roles.
   • Try covering paths where generic superclasses are involved.
5. Check for custom annotation resolvers or overrides
   • If you have custom security setups, reflection, custom annotation detection or overrides, ensure they aren’t impacted.
6. Plan for fallback / defense in depth
   • Complement method-level annotations with programmatic checks inside business logic (e.g. service layer) or filters.
   • Consider logging accesses where security constraints are expected to catch unexpected authorization bypasses.

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 Detection & Hunting for SOC / DevSecOps Teams

• Monitor production logs for accesses to endpoints/methods typically secured by roles (ADMIN, MODERATOR, etc) that are not rejected, especially after deploying patches.
• Search for tests or code coverage gaps for methods overridden from generic base classes.
• Use static analysis tools / linters to detect annotations on generic super types.
• For codebases using SpringAOP or reflective method invocation, verify that annotation detection logic properly resolves to the concrete implementation.

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 CyberDudeBivash Best Practices (from this incident)

• Always avoid placing security annotations solely on generic interfaces or abstract superclasses unless you have confirmed annotation resolution works for your version.
• Maintain a dependency policy: use only supported versions of frameworks; track EOL status; apply security updates regularly.
• Maintain a layered security model: authentication, authorization (annotations), business logic checks, and continuous testing.

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 Summary

CVE-2025-41248 & CVE-2025-41249 are important “gotchas” for developers using Spring Security + Spring Framework. If your app uses method security + generic types, you may be exposed. But fixes are available.

What to do now:

• Upgrade to patched versions
• Audit annotation placement
• Add tests / monitoring
• Use defense in depth

Stay ahead. Bypass risks like this can silently undermine your access control.

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