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Learn moreSpring Framework (versions 5.0.x prior to 5.0.7, versions 4.3.x prior to 4.3.18, and older unsupported versions) allow web applications to change the HTTP request method to any HTTP method (including TRACE) using the HiddenHttpMethodFilter in Spring MVC. If an application has a pre-existing XSS vulnerability, a malicious user (or attacker) can use this filter to escalate to an XST (Cross Site Tracing) attack.
Users of affected versions should apply the following mitigation:
There are no other mitigation steps necessary.
This attack applies to applications that:
This attack is not exploitable directly because an attacker would have to make a cross-domain request via HTTP POST, which is forbidden by the Same Origin Policy. This is why a pre-existing XSS (Cross Site Scripting) vulnerability in the web application itself is necessary to enable an escalation to XST.
This issue was identified and reported by Mariusz Łuciów, Ocado Technology.
To report a security vulnerability for a project within the Spring portfolio, see the Security Policy