CVE-2026-40976

Description

In certain circumstances, Spring Boot's default web security is ineffective allowing unauthorized access to all endpoints. For an application to be vulnerable, it must: be a servlet-based web application; have no Spring Security configuration of its own and rely on the default web security filter chain; depend on spring-boot-actuator-autoconfigure; not depend on spring-boot-health. If any of the above does not apply, the application is not vulnerable. Affected: Spring Boot 4.0.0–4.0.5; upgrade to 4.0.6 or later per vendor advisory.

CVSS v3.1 Score

9.1

CRITICAL

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0002

Probability of exploitation

0.06%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-862 Missing Authorization

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
vmware	spring_boot	4.0.0 — 4.0.6

References

Advisories & Patches

https://spring.io/security/cve-2026-40976

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-40976? +

In certain circumstances, Spring Boot's default web security is ineffective allowing unauthorized access to all endpoints. For an application to be vulnerable, it must: be a servlet-based web application; have no Spring Security configuration of its own and rely on the default web security filter chain; depend on spring-boot-actuator-autoconfigure; not depend on spring-boot-health. If any of the above does not apply, the application is not vulnerable. Affected: Spring Boot 4.0.0–4.0.5; upgrade to 4.0.6 or later per vendor advisory. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 (CRITICAL).

How severe is CVE-2026-40976? +

CVE-2026-40976 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 9.1 out of 10, rated CRITICAL. This is a critical vulnerability that should be patched immediately. The EPSS score is 0.0002, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

What products are affected by CVE-2026-40976? +

CVE-2026-40976 affects products from vmware, specifically: spring_boot. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-40976? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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