Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
A vulnerable Spring Cloud Config Server can be tricked into serving configuration files outside the intended path. For businesses, the main concern is exposure of sensitive configuration, such as service settings or secrets, if affected versions are deployed and reachable.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation for internet-facing or broadly reachable Config Server deployments. Treat confirmed exposure as a sensitive configuration disclosure risk, especially where application secrets may be stored in served configuration.
Technical view
CVE-2019-3799 is a CWE-22 directory traversal issue in spring-cloud-config-server. A specially crafted URL can cause affected Spring Cloud Config versions to serve arbitrary configuration files. Affected lines are 2.1.x before 2.1.2, 2.0.x before 2.0.4, 1.4.x before 1.4.6, and older unsupported versions.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where Spring Cloud Config Server is running on affected versions and is reachable by untrusted users or networks. Internal-only deployments still matter if configuration contains secrets or privileged service settings.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show known active exploitation, and this CVE is not listed as KEV in the bundle. The described attack requires sending a crafted URL to a vulnerable Config Server endpoint.
Researcher notes
Evidence is clear on affected version ranges and vulnerability class, but the bundle lacks CVSS details and does not provide proof of active exploitation. Avoid expanding impact beyond Spring Cloud Config Server unless confirmed by vendor advisories.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade to Spring Cloud Config 2.1.2, 2.0.4, 1.4.6, or later supported releases.
- Retire older unsupported Spring Cloud Config versions.
- Restrict Config Server access to trusted services and networks.
- Review vendor guidance from Spring/Pivotal and relevant downstream product advisories.
- Audit exposed configuration for secrets if vulnerable service exposure is confirmed.
Validation and detection
- Inventory applications using spring-cloud-config-server.
- Confirm deployed Spring Cloud Config versions against affected ranges.
- Check whether Config Server endpoints are reachable from untrusted networks.
- Review access logs for unusual path traversal-like requests without reproducing them offensively.
- Verify upgrades or compensating access controls are deployed.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-22: File access and web shell behavior lookup
File traversal and upload weaknesses can lead teams to review file, web shell, execution, and collection telemetry. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupFile access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references file access or upload behavior, so file telemetry and web shell review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2019-3799 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.htmlCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://pivotal.io/security/cve-2019-3799CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.