CVE-2026-41851: VMware Spring Framework denial of service in SpEL expression evaluation

CVE-2026-41851 · Severity: medium · CVSS 5.3 · Published 2026-06-09

Spring Framework is a widely used software framework for building Java applications. A vulnerability in its expression language component allows an attacker to cause a denial-of-service condition by sending specially crafted inputs. This can lead to excessive memory consumption, potentially causing the application to slow down or crash, impacting business operations and service availability.

Technologies: org.springframework:spring-expression (Maven), VMware Spring Framework. Vendors: Maven, VMware.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-41851 exploited in the wild?
No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-41851 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-41851?
Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 5.3, published 9 June 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?
org.springframework:spring-expression (Maven) ECOSYSTEM:introduced=7.0.0,fixed=7.0.8; VMware Spring Framework 7.0.0 through 7.0.7; 6.2.0 through 6.2.18; 6.1.0 through 6.1.27; 5.3.0 through 5.3.48, 7.0.0 to 7.0.7, 6.2.0 to 6.2.18, 6.1.0 to 6.1.27, 5.3.0 to 5.3.48.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-41851?
Yes. org.springframework:spring-expression (Maven): upgrade to 7.0.8 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2026-41851 attacked?
It is attacked over the network, in a software library.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-41851?
Check whether you run org.springframework:spring-expression (Maven) or VMware Spring Framework at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

How to fix

  • org.springframework:spring-expression (Maven): upgrade to 7.0.8 or later
    # set org.springframework:spring-expression to 7.0.8 in your pom.xml or build.gradle

Technical details

A resource exhaustion vulnerability (CWE-770) exists in the Spring Expression Language (SpEL) component of the Spring Framework. When an application evaluates user-provided SpEL expressions, certain inputs can trigger unbounded growth in internal caches used during evaluation. A remote, unauthenticated attacker can exploit this over the network to consume excessive system memory, leading to a Denial of Service (DoS). The issue is addressed in Spring Framework versions 7.0.8 and 6.2.19; users on older branches should update to the latest maintenance releases.

Affected products

  • VMware Spring Framework 7.0.0 to 7.0.7, 6.2.0 to 6.2.18, 6.1.0 to 6.1.27, 5.3.0 to 5.3.48

Identifiers

  • CVE-2026-41851
  • GHSA-wxpp-56q6-5pcg

Timeline

  • 2026-06-09: disclosed
  • 2026-06-09: advisory
  • 2026-07-30: patched: Updated advisory with patch information

References

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