spring-webmvc is the Spring Framework module that powers the annotation-based Spring MVC programming model, and because it sits at the front of so many Java web applications, its vulnerabilities tend to be path traversal issues in static resource handling that deserve prompt patching. If you have a spring-webmvc Maven dependency in your pom.xml, you are running one of the most widely deployed pieces of Java web infrastructure, and keeping it current matters. This guide covers what the module does, the recent CVEs worth knowing, and how to stay ahead of them.
What spring-webmvc is
The spring-webmvc artifact provides the DispatcherServlet, request mapping, view resolution, and the controller model that most Spring web applications are built on. It is published under the org.springframework group and is almost always present transitively when you use Spring Boot's web starter, even if you never declare it directly.
A minimal direct declaration looks like this:
<dependency>
<groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
<artifactId>spring-webmvc</artifactId>
<version>6.2.10</version>
</dependency>
In practice most teams let Spring Boot manage the version through its dependency BOM rather than pinning it by hand. That is usually the right call, because it keeps the whole Spring family aligned, but it also means you inherit whatever version your Boot release pins, which is why keeping Boot current is part of keeping spring-webmvc current.
The recent theme: path traversal in resource handling
The spring-webmvc vulnerabilities disclosed over the past couple of years cluster around one pattern: serving static resources in a way that lets a crafted request escape the intended directory and read files it should not. These are worth understanding as a class, not just as individual identifiers.
CVE-2024-38816 is a path traversal in the functional web frameworks. Applications are affected when they use RouterFunctions to serve static resources and configure resource handling with a FileSystemResource location. A malicious request can then traverse outside that location. Spring's advisory recommends upgrading to 6.1.13 or later on the 6.1.x line.
CVE-2024-38819 is closely related, also affecting applications that serve static resources through the functional WebMvc.fn or WebFlux.fn frameworks, allowing a crafted HTTP request to read files accessible to the process. It shares the same functional-routing precondition and fix path.
CVE-2025-41242 is a more recent path traversal that surfaces when a Spring MVC application is deployed on a non-compliant Servlet container that does not reject suspicious URL sequences, and the app serves static resources through Spring's resource handling. The affected ranges include 5.3.0 through 5.3.43, 6.0.0 through 6.0.29, 6.1.0 through 6.1.21, and 6.2.0 through 6.2.9, with the fix landing in 6.2.10 and the corresponding maintenance releases on older lines.
The older CVE-2016-5007 is a different flavor: a path-matching inconsistency between Spring Security and Spring MVC that could let requests bypass security constraints. Spring Framework 4.3.1 and Spring Security 4.1.1 addressed it, and the guidance was to use MvcRequestMatcher so both layers agree on how a path is interpreted.
Are you actually exposed?
A CVE against spring-webmvc does not automatically mean your app is vulnerable. The recent path traversal issues have specific preconditions. If you do not use functional routing (RouterFunctions) to serve static files from the filesystem, CVE-2024-38816 and CVE-2024-38819 do not apply to your code paths. CVE-2025-41242 depends on both a non-compliant Servlet container and Spring resource handling for static assets.
That said, "we probably do not meet the precondition" is a fragile reason to skip a patch. Preconditions are easy to introduce later without anyone connecting the change back to a dormant advisory, and a compliant container today can be swapped for a non-compliant one during an infrastructure migration. Patch to a fixed version regardless; treat the precondition analysis as a way to prioritize urgency, not as permission to stay behind.
How to stay patched
The mechanics are simple; the discipline is the hard part.
Keep Spring Boot on a supported release, because it manages the spring-webmvc version for you through its BOM. Jumping from an old Boot line to a current one often clears several Spring CVEs at once. Check your effective version with:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.springframework:spring-webmvc
Watch the official Spring security advisories for new disclosures, since they publish affected ranges and fixed versions precisely. And gate dependency changes in CI so a version that regresses below a fixed release cannot merge unnoticed. An SCA tool can match your resolved spring-webmvc version against the CVE ranges above and transitively, which matters because you rarely declare this artifact directly, so a manual pom.xml read will miss it.
If you also manage other common Java libraries with known deserialization or parsing risks, the same patching habit applies; our Jackson databind security guide walks through a related dependency worth watching.
FAQ
What is spring-webmvc used for?
It is the Spring Framework module that implements the Spring MVC programming model: the DispatcherServlet, request mapping, controllers, and view resolution. It underpins most Spring web applications and is almost always pulled in transitively by Spring Boot's web starter.
What are the main spring-webmvc vulnerabilities?
The recent ones are path traversal issues in static resource handling: CVE-2024-38816 and CVE-2024-38819 affect functional routing that serves files from the filesystem, and CVE-2025-41242 affects apps on non-compliant Servlet containers, fixed in 6.2.10 and corresponding maintenance releases.
How do I check which spring-webmvc version I have?
Run mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.springframework:spring-webmvc to see the resolved version, including when it is pulled in transitively through Spring Boot. Compare that version against the affected ranges in Spring's advisories.
Do I need to patch if I do not use functional routing?
Yes. Even if your current code does not meet the precondition for a given CVE, preconditions are easy to introduce later and infrastructure changes can activate them. Use the precondition analysis to prioritize urgency, but upgrade to a fixed version regardless.