CVE-2020-5408
Dictionary attack with Spring Security queryable text encryptor
Spring Security versions 5.3.x prior to 5.3.2, 5.2.x prior to 5.2.4, 5.1.x prior to 5.1.10, 5.0.x prior to 5.0.16 and 4.2.x prior to 4.2.16 use a fixed null initialization vector with CBC Mode in the implementation of the queryable text encryptor. A malicious user with access to the data that has been encrypted using such an encryptor may be able to derive the unencrypted values using a dictionary attack.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- Low
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
NVD Score used
Spring Security versions 5.3.x prior to 5.3.2, 5.2.x prior to 5.2.4, 5.1.x prior to 5.1.10, 5.0.x prior to 5.0.16 and 4.2.x prior to 4.2.16 use a fixed null initialization vector with CBC Mode in the implementation of the queryable text encryptor. A malicious user with access to the data that has been encrypted using such an encryptor may be able to derive the unencrypted values using a dictionary attack.
- Record
CVE-2020-5408- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - CVSS 2.0
- 4.0 Medium
AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-329, CWE-330
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
CVE List No score
Dictionary attack with Spring Security queryable text encryptor
Spring Security versions 5.3.x prior to 5.3.2, 5.2.x prior to 5.2.4, 5.1.x prior to 5.1.10, 5.0.x prior to 5.0.16 and 4.2.x prior to 4.2.16 use a fixed null initialization vector with CBC Mode in the implementation of the queryable text encryptor. A malicious user with access to the data that has been encrypted using such an encryptor may be able to derive the unencrypted values using a dictionary attack.
- Record
CVE-2020-5408- Weakness
- CWE-329
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2020-0449 No score
Spring Security versions 5.3.x prior to 5.3.2, 5.2.x prior to 5.2.4, 5.1.x prior to 5.1.10, 5.0.x prior to 5.0.16 and 4.2.x prior to 4.2.16 use a fixed null initialization vector with CBC Mode in the implementation of the queryable text encryptor. A malicious user with access to the data that has been encrypted using such an encryptor may be able to derive the unencrypted values using a dictionary attack.
- Record
EUVD-2020-0449- Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-2ppp-9496-p23q
Insufficient Entropy in Spring Security
Spring Security versions 5.3.x prior to 5.3.2, 5.2.x prior to 5.2.4, 5.1.x prior to 5.1.10, 5.0.x prior to 5.0.16 and 4.2.x prior to 4.2.16 use a fixed null initialization vector with CBC Mode in the implementation of the queryable text encryptor. A malicious user with access to the data that has been encrypted using such an encryptor may be able to derive the unencrypted values using a dictionary attack.
- Record
GHSA-2ppp-9496-p23q- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-329, CWE-330
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
Spring Security versions 5.3.x prior to 5.3.2, 5.2.x prior to 5.2.4, 5.1.x prior to 5.1.10, 5.0.x prior to 5.0.16 and 4.2.x prior to 4.2.16 use a fixed null initialization vector with CBC Mode in the implementation of the queryable text encryptor. A malicious user with access to the data that has been encrypted using such an encryptor may be able to derive the unencrypted values using a dictionary attack.
- Record
CVE-2020-5408- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-2ppp-9496-p23q
Insufficient Entropy in Spring Security
Spring Security versions 5.3.x prior to 5.3.2, 5.2.x prior to 5.2.4, 5.1.x prior to 5.1.10, 5.0.x prior to 5.0.16 and 4.2.x prior to 4.2.16 use a fixed null initialization vector with CBC Mode in the implementation of the queryable text encryptor. A malicious user with access to the data that has been encrypted using such an encryptor may be able to derive the unencrypted values using a dictionary attack.
- Record
GHSA-2ppp-9496-p23q- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-329, CWE-330
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
org.springframework.security:spring-security-coreMaven |
5.3.0 up to 5.3.2 | 5.3.2 |
org.springframework.security:spring-security-coreMaven |
5.2.0 up to 5.2.4 | 5.2.4 |
org.springframework.security:spring-security-coreMaven |
5.1.0 up to 5.1.10 | 5.1.10 |
org.springframework.security:spring-security-coreMaven |
5.0.0 up to 5.0.16 | 5.0.16 |
org.springframework.security:spring-security-coreMaven |
before 4.2.16 | 4.2.16 |
org.springframework.security:spring-security-coreMaven |
5.3.0 up to 5.3.2, plus listed versions 5.3.0.RELEASE5.3.1.RELEASE |
5.3.2 |
org.springframework.security:spring-security-coreMaven |
5.2.0 up to 5.2.4, plus listed versions 5.2.0.RELEASE5.2.1.RELEASE5.2.2.RELEASE5.2.3.RELEASE |
5.2.4 |
org.springframework.security:spring-security-coreMaven |
5.1.0 up to 5.1.10, plus listed versions 5.1.0.RELEASE5.1.1.RELEASE5.1.2.RELEASE5.1.3.RELEASE5.1.4.RELEASE Show 5 moreShow less5.1.5.RELEASE5.1.6.RELEASE5.1.7.RELEASE5.1.8.RELEASE5.1.9.RELEASE |
5.1.10 |
org.springframework.security:spring-security-coreMaven |
5.0.0 up to 5.0.16, plus listed versions 5.0.0.RELEASE5.0.1.RELEASE5.0.10.RELEASE5.0.11.RELEASE5.0.12.RELEASE Show 11 moreShow less5.0.13.RELEASE5.0.14.RELEASE5.0.15.RELEASE5.0.2.RELEASE5.0.3.RELEASE5.0.4.RELEASE5.0.5.RELEASE5.0.6.RELEASE5.0.7.RELEASE5.0.8.RELEASE5.0.9.RELEASE |
5.0.16 |
org.springframework.security:spring-security-coreMaven |
before 4.2.16, plus listed versions 2.0.02.0.12.0.22.0.32.0.4 Show 45 moreShow less2.0.5.RELEASE2.0.6.RELEASE2.0.7.RELEASE2.0.8.RELEASE3.0.0.RELEASE3.0.1.RELEASE3.0.2.RELEASE3.0.3.RELEASE3.0.4.RELEASE3.0.5.RELEASE3.0.6.RELEASE3.0.7.RELEASE3.0.8.RELEASE3.1.0.RELEASE3.1.1.RELEASE3.1.2.RELEASE3.1.3.RELEASE3.1.4.RELEASE3.1.5.RELEASE3.1.6.RELEASE3.1.7.RELEASE3.2.0.RELEASE3.2.1.RELEASE3.2.10.RELEASE3.2.2.RELEASE3.2.3.RELEASE3.2.4.RELEASE3.2.5.RELEASE3.2.6.RELEASE3.2.7.RELEASE3.2.8.RELEASE3.2.9.RELEASE4.0.0.RELEASE4.0.1.RELEASE4.0.2.RELEASE4.0.3.RELEASE4.0.4.RELEASE4.1.0.RELEASE4.1.1.RELEASE4.1.2.RELEASE4.1.3.RELEASE4.1.4.RELEASE4.1.5.RELEASE4.2.0.RELEASE4.2.1.RELEASE |
4.2.16 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases, products, published | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2020-5408 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 6.5) in Pivotal Software Spring Security, published May 14, 2020. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 1.59%, the 75th percentile. Fixed in org.springframework.security:spring-security-core 5.3.2.
References
Left out here: 14 versions. The JSON record has them.