CVE-2020-5410
Spring Cloud Config, versions 2.2.x prior to 2.2.3, versions 2.1.x prior to 2.1.9, and older unsupported versions allow applications to serve arbitrary configuration files through the spring-cloud-config-server module. A malicious user, or attacker, can send a request using a specially crafted URL that can lead to a directory traversal attack.
- CVSS
- 7.5Highscored by CISA
- Exploited in the wild
- Yes, in CISA KEV since 25 Mar 2022CISA deadline for US federal agencies: 15 Apr 2022unvetted proof-of-concept code on github
- EPSS
- 95.6%chance of exploitation in the next 30 daystop 0.2% of scored CVEsFIRST score of 11 Nov 2026
- Fix
- Patch availablesee the advisories in the references
- Published
- 2 Jun 2020analysed here 12 Nov 2026
Do first. Apply updates per vendor instructions. (CISA's required action for this KEV entry)
Summary
Triage
- Attack surface
- Server-side
- Exploitable
- At runtime
- Attack vector
- network
- Can a WAF block it?
- Yes. See why
The summary, impact and action text on this page are written by our AI analysis pipeline, or taken from the NVD description when a CVE was imported from NVD. They are not the vendor's wording: check them against the sources. A longer AI executive summary and technical analysis are generated for signed-in accounts on the Max plan.
Affected products
| Product | Affected versions | Vendor says fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Spring by VMware Spring Cloud Config | >= 2.1 and < 2.1.9>= 2.2 and < 2.2.3Vendor says fixed in: not stated |
As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.
Products named in our analysis
- vmware:spring_cloud_config
Fix and mitigation
WAF and other mitigations
Can a WAF block it? Yes. Relative path traversal sends `../` style sequences in the request, which WAF rules catch.
Also consider: allow-list · canonical path validation
Based on the weakness type only; no CVE-specific evidence yet. We check Cloudflare, AWS, Google Cloud Armor and Azure; for Akamai, Imperva, Fastly, F5, ask your vendor.
Remediation steps (AI-written)
Step-by-step remediation is generated for accounts on the Max plan, for CVEs that match a technology in their stack. Add this technology to your stack to see the fix checklist.
Exploitation evidence
- CISA KEV catalog
- Listed since 25 Mar 2022.
- CISA due date
- 15 Apr 2022, the remediation deadline for US federal agencies
- CISA required action
- Apply updates per vendor instructions.
- Public exploit code
- Unvetted proof-of-concept code on GitHub: 1 Metasploit module · 2 GitHub proofs of concept · 1 Nuclei template
- CISA SSVC
- exploitation active, automatable yes, technical impact partialAssessed by CISA 7 Feb 2025 (SSVC 2.0.3). Exploitation is none, poc (public proof of concept) or active.
Metasploit
- auxiliary/scanner/http/springcloud_directory_traversalauxiliary, rank normal
Nuclei
- Spring Cloud Config Server - Local File Inclusiondetection template, high
GitHub proofs of concept
Listed so you can judge urgency, not as a recommendation to run anything. GitHub “proofs of concept” are unvetted: some are fake or carry malware. Exploit-DB marks the entries its staff verified.
Timeline
- 2 Jun 2020Published
- 3 Jun 2020First proof-of-concept repository on GitHub (unvetted)same day later
- 25 Mar 2022Added to CISA KEV (exploited in the wild)660 days (about 2 years) later
- 15 Apr 2022CISA remediation due date (US federal agencies)21 days later
- 7 Feb 2025CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation active1,030 days (about 3 years) later
- 21 Oct 2025CVE record last updated256 days (about 9 months) later
- 12 Nov 2026Analysed by vulneraibility.com387 days (about 1 year) later
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
| Metric | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Attack vector | NetworkReachable over the internet or any routable network. | Reachable over the internet or any routable network. |
| Attack complexity | LowRepeatable attack, no special conditions. | Repeatable attack, no special conditions. |
| Privileges required | NoneThe attacker needs no prior access. | The attacker needs no prior access. |
| User interaction | NoneNo victim action needed. | No victim action needed. |
| Scope | UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component. | Impact stays within the vulnerable component. |
| Confidentiality | HighTotal data disclosure possible. | Total data disclosure possible. |
| Integrity | NoneNo unauthorised modification. | No unauthorised modification. |
| Availability | NoneThe service stays up. | The service stays up. |
Common questions
Is CVE-2020-5410 being exploited?
Yes. CVE-2020-5410 appears in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which means exploitation in the wild has been confirmed and reported. Treat it as active rather than theoretical, and patch it ahead of higher-scoring vulnerabilities that carry no exploitation evidence.
How severe is CVE-2020-5410?
CVE-2020-5410 is rated High with a CVSS score of 7.5. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2020-5410?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2020-5410. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2020-5410 affect?
CVE-2020-5410 affects vmware:spring_cloud_config. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
References
2 references in the CVE record, grouped by the tags the record gives them.
Other links (2)
- tanzu.vmware.com /security/cve-2020-5410
- cisa.gov /known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-5410
Where the data on this page comes from
- CVE List (CVE.org): description, affected versions, references; CVE Terms of Use
- NVD: CVSS and CPE data
- CISA KEV catalog: exploitation, date added, due date
- CISA Vulnrichment (ADP): SSVC decision points
- FIRST EPSS: exploit probability and percentile
- Metasploit Framework: exploit and scanner modules
- Nuclei templates: detection templates
- PoC-in-GitHub: GitHub repositories that claim a proof of concept
Summary, impact and triage tags: written by our AI analysis pipeline from the sources above. Check them against the sources.
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