A high-severity information disclosure vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-41253, has been discovered in multiple products utilizing the Spring Cloud Gateway Server Webflux component. Successful exploitation could allow an unauthenticated attacker to remotely access sensitive environment variables and system properties. This exposure could lead to the compromise of credentials, secret keys, and other confidential data, potentially enabling further unauthorized access to internal systems.

The vulnerability exists within the Spring Cloud Gateway Server Webflux component, which fails to properly sanitize or restrict access to certain endpoints or request patterns. An unauthenticated attacker can craft a specific HTTP request and send it to a vulnerable gateway instance. The server improperly processes this request, leading to the disclosure of environment variables and system properties in the HTTP response, exposing sensitive configuration data like API keys, database credentials, and secret tokens.

This vulnerability is rated as High severity with a CVSS score of 7.5. The primary business impact is the high risk of a significant data breach. The exposure of environment variables can provide attackers with the necessary credentials to access databases, cloud services, and other critical backend systems. This could result in unauthorized data access and exfiltration, financial loss, reputational damage, and regulatory penalties. Furthermore, the compromised information can serve as a pivot point for attackers to move laterally within the network and launch more sophisticated attacks.

Immediate Action: The primary and most effective remediation is to apply the security updates provided by the vendor to all affected systems immediately. After patching, organizations should monitor application and gateway logs for any signs of exploitation attempts that may have occurred prior to the update. A thorough review of access logs for unusual or malformed requests targeting gateway endpoints is strongly recommended.

Proactive Monitoring: Implement enhanced monitoring on all public-facing API gateways. Security teams should look for unusual HTTP requests, such as those containing directory traversal sequences, unexpected parameters, or requests targeting sensitive actuator endpoints (e.g., /env, /actuator/env). Monitor for anomalous outbound traffic from gateway servers, which could indicate data exfiltration.

Compensating Controls: If immediate patching is not feasible, implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules designed to block requests attempting to exploit this vulnerability. These rules should filter for known malicious patterns associated with information disclosure. Additionally, restrict network access to the management endpoints of the gateway to only trusted internal IP addresses.

Public Exploit Available: false

Given the high severity (CVSS 7.5) and the critical role of API gateways in modern infrastructure, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the organization. The potential for credential and secret key exposure necessitates immediate action. We strongly recommend that all system owners identify assets running the vulnerable Spring Cloud Gateway component and apply the vendor-provided patches on an emergency basis. Although this CVE is not currently listed on the CISA KEV list, its impact warrants treatment with the highest priority.