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CVE Record

CVE-2021-22119: Spring Security versions 5.5.x prior to 5.5.1, 5.4.x prior to 5.4.7, 5.3.x prior to 5.3.10 and 5.2.x prior...

Spring Security versions 5.5.x prior to 5.5.1, 5.4.x prior to 5.4.7, 5.3.x prior to 5.3.10 and 5.2.x prior to 5.2.11 are susceptible to a Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack via the initiation of the Authorization Request in an OAuth 2.0 Client Web and WebFlux application. A malicious user or attacker can send multiple requests initiating the Authorization Request for the Authorization Code Grant, which has the potential of exhausting system resources using a single session or multiple sessions.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2021-22119 is a denial-of-service issue in Spring Security OAuth 2.0 Client Web and WebFlux applications. Repeated authorization-request initiations can consume system resources, potentially degrading login or application availability. The provided sources do not show active exploitation or a CVSS score.

Executive priority

Treat this as a practical availability risk for internet-facing or heavily used OAuth-enabled Java applications. It should be remediated through normal patch governance, faster where authentication availability is business-critical. There is no source-backed evidence here for emergency response due to active exploitation.

Technical view

Affected Spring Security versions are 5.5.x before 5.5.1, 5.4.x before 5.4.7, 5.3.x before 5.3.10, and 5.2.x before 5.2.11. The weakness is CWE-400 resource consumption during OAuth 2.0 Authorization Code Grant authorization-request initiation, reachable through Web or WebFlux OAuth client flows.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely in Java applications using vulnerable Spring Security versions with OAuth 2.0 client authorization-code login or client flows. Applications not using OAuth 2.0 Client Web or WebFlux authorization requests are less likely exposed based on the provided description.

Exploitation context

The bundle describes request flooding that can exhaust resources from one or multiple sessions. It does not provide evidence of active exploitation, KEV listing, public exploit use, authentication requirements, or specific deployment conditions beyond the OAuth 2.0 Client Web/WebFlux context.

Researcher notes

The strongest evidence is the vendor description and version bounds. CVSS data is absent in the supplied bundle, and KEV is false. Apache Pluto and NiFi references show downstream projects upgrading Spring Security, but they do not expand exploit details or prove active abuse.

Mitigation direction

  • Upgrade Spring Security to a fixed version for the deployed branch.
  • Prioritize versions 5.5.1, 5.4.7, 5.3.10, or 5.2.11 or later.
  • Check vendor and framework guidance for branch-specific remediation details.
  • Inventory downstream products that embed Spring Security and review their advisories.
  • Monitor affected OAuth endpoints for abnormal request volume and resource exhaustion symptoms.

Validation and detection

  • Identify all applications and products using Spring Security.
  • Confirm deployed Spring Security versions against the vulnerable version ranges.
  • Determine whether OAuth 2.0 Client Web or WebFlux authorization-code flows are enabled.
  • Review dependency trees and vendor advisories for transitive Spring Security use.
  • Check logs and metrics for repeated authorization-request initiation and resource pressure.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
8

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

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 · low confidence lookup

CWE-400: Exact CWE lookup

Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. 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.

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cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2021-22119 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

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.

0CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
10Source links

CVSS and timeline data

No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
n/aSpring SecuritySpring Security versions 5.5.x prior to 5.5.1, 5.4.x prior to 5.4.7, 5.3.x prior to 5.3.10 and 5.2.x prior to 5.2.11Listed
Weakness

CWE details

CWE-400

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.

CWE-400 · source CWE mapping

Uncontrolled Resource Consumption

Uncontrolled Resource Consumption represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.

Open CWE intelligenceSame-CWE CVEs