CVE-2026-40969 Spring gRPC AuthenticationException message reflected to remote client
An attacker can obtain sensitive authentication failure details from gRPC status descriptions, aiding further attacks.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-40969?
CVE-2026-40969 is a low-severity vulnerability in Spring gRPC, published on 28 Apr 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
The raw message of every server-side AuthenticationException is returned to the unauthenticated remote caller in the gRPC status description. This allows an attacker to obtain information about the authentication failure, which may be useful for further attacks.
Affected versions: Spring gRPC: 1.0.0 - 1.0.2 (fixed in 1.0.3). Older, unsupported versions are also affected.
Weakness: CWE-209
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-40969?
2 open source packages ship an affected version, including org.springframework.grpc:spring-grpc. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
org.springframework.grpc:spring-grpc Maven | All versions | 1.0.3 |
org.springframework.grpc:spring-grpc Maven | All versions | 1.0.3 |
Products include Vmware Spring Grpc.
How do I fix CVE-2026-40969?
Upgrade org.springframework.grpc:spring-grpc to 1.0.3 or later.
Is CVE-2026-40969 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-40969 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Spring gRPC
Sources
Also known as GHSA-37w2-q6vh-45v6.