CVE Intelligence
High

CVE-2026-40973 — A local attacker on the same host as the application may be able to take control of the…

A local attacker on the same host as the application may be able to take control of the directory used by `ApplicationTemp`. When `server.servlet.session.persistent` is set to `true` and the attack persists across application restarts, this may allow the attacker to read session information and hijack authenticated users or deploy a gadget chain and execute code as the application's user. Affected: Spring Boot 4.0.0–4.0.5 (fix 4.0.6), 3.5.0–3.5.13 (fix 3.5.14), 3.4.0–3.4.15 (fix 3.4.16), 3.3.0–3.3.18 (fix 3.3.19), 2.7.0–2.7.32 (fix 2.7.33); predictable temp directory / `ApplicationTemp` ownership verification. Versions that are no longer supported are also affected per vendor advisory.

Published Apr 27, 2026 · Updated Oct 13, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP · CNA: vmware

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

No exploitation signal in the sources consulted so far.
How the score was calculated
  • EPSS 0.1% (30-day exploitation probability)+0
  • Technical severity (high)+6

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.

Exploitation
Not confirmed
Not in CISA KEV — an absence of record, not proof it is unexploited.
EPSS FIRST
0.13%
ahead of 3% of scored CVEs · Oct 14, 2026
Affects
Spring
Spring Boot
CVSS base
7.0
High · 2 source(s)

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.

Exploitation
None
none · proof-of-concept · active
Automatable
No
can an attacker script the kill-chain steps
Technical impact
Total
partial · total control of the vulnerable component

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.

  1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Spring Spring Boot, Vmware Spring Boot).
  2. No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
  3. Search available logs for exploit probes, errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatusSource
Spring Spring Boot ≥ 4.0.0 and < 4.0.6≥ 3.5.0 and < 3.5.14≥ 3.4.0 and < 3.4.16≥ 3.3.0 and < 3.3.19≥ 2.7.0 and < 2.7.33 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Vmware Spring Boot < 2.7.33≥ 3.3.0 and < 3.3.19≥ 3.4.0 and < 3.4.16≥ 3.5.0 and < 3.5.14≥ 4.0.0 and < 4.0.6 Vulnerable NIST National Vulnerability Database

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
High
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

ScoreVersionSeverityExpl.ImpactScored by
7.0 CVSS 3.1 High 1.0 5.9 security@vmware.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database
7.0 CVSS 3.1 High — — vmware via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (score shown at the top: security@vmware.com)

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-377

Other CVEs with this weakness →

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 0.13%

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

  • Local/physical vector: focus on endpoint telemetry (EDR) from affected hosts.
endpoint telemetry (EDR)

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

  • 2026
  • Affected products added · spring/spring boot
    Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • SSVC assessment updated
    Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Record published
    Oct 13, 2026
  • CVSS changed · 7.0
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Source status changed · → Analyzed
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Record created in this database
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • CVE published
    Apr 27, 2026 · vmware

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

Spring
every CVE for this vendor
CWE-377
other pages naming this weakness

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
  • 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
  • Critical CVE-2026-40976 Missing Authorization 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-2026-40973 is "A local attacker on the same host as the application may be able to take control of the…", 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 7.0 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.13% 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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