Description
Spring Security, versions 4.2.x up to 4.2.12, and older unsupported versions support plain text passwords using PlaintextPasswordEncoder. If an application using an affected version of Spring Security is leveraging PlaintextPasswordEncoder and a user has a null encoded password, a malicious user (or attacker) can authenticate using a password of "null".
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | Spring Security | 4.2 – < 4.2.13.RELEASE | 4.2.13.RELEASE |
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 8 | libspring-security-2.0-java | 2.0.7.RELEASE-3+deb8u2 | DLA-1848-1 |
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maven | org.springframework.security:spring-security-cas | < 4.2.13.RELEASE | 4.2.13.RELEASE | GHSA-v33x-prhc-gph5 |
| Maven | org.springframework.security:spring-security-core | < 4.2.13 | 4.2.13 | GHSA-v33x-prhc-gph5 |
Advisories 2
- WID-SEC-2026-1955 Atlassian Bamboo, Bitbucket, Confluence, Fisheye, Crucible, Jira und Jira Service Management: Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Sep 23, 2026
- DLA-1848-1 libspring-security-2.0-java - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026