CVE-2026-22731 — Authentication Bypass under Actuator Health groups paths
Spring Boot applications with Actuator can be vulnerable to an "Authentication Bypass" vulnerability when an application endpoint that requires authentication is declared under a specific path, already configured for a Health Group additional path. This issue affects Spring Boot: from 4.0 before 4.0.3, from 3.5 before 3.5.11, from 3.4 before 3.4.15. This CVE is similar but not equivalent to CVE-2026-22733, as the conditions for exploit and vulnerable versions are different.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- EPSS 0.3% (30-day exploitation probability)+4
- Technical severity (high)+6
- Automatable exploitation (SSVC)+3
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
CISA SSVC assessment CISA
Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Spring Spring Boot, Vmware Spring Boot).
- The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
- No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (authentication), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | Spring Boot | ≥ 4.0 and < 4.0.3≥ 3.5 and < 3.5.11≥ 3.4 and < 3.4.15 | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| Vmware | Spring Boot | ≥ 3.4.0 and < 3.4.15≥ 3.5.0 and < 3.5.12≥ 4.0.0 and < 4.0.4 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.2 | CVSS 3.1 | High | 3.9 | 4.2 | security@vmware.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 8.2 | CVSS 3.1 | High | — | — | vmware via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| 8.1 | CVSS 3.1 | High | 2.2 | 5.9 | nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
EPSS over time FIRST
Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 0.33%
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
- Review authentication logs: logins without MFA, anomalous sessions and recently created accounts.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · spring/spring boot
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- CVSS changed · 8.1
- Source status changed · → Analyzed
- Record created in this database
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
References
1 on the record
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- Medium CVE-2026-41001 Predictable Temp Directory in Artemis Auto-configuration Jun 11, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-40992 Mail Auto-Configuration Does Not Enable SSL Hostname Verification Jun 11, 2026
- High CVE-2026-40972 An attacker on the same network as the remote application may be able to utilize a… Apr 27, 2026
- High CVE-2026-40973 A local attacker on the same host as the application may be able to take control of the… Apr 27, 2026
- Critical CVE-2026-40974 Improper Certificate Validation in Vmware Spring Boot Apr 27, 2026
- High CVE-2026-40975 Use of Insufficiently Random Values in Vmware Spring Boot Apr 27, 2026
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2026-22731 is "Authentication Bypass under Actuator Health groups paths", rated High. It affects Spring Boot (Spring); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 8.1 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.33% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
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