CVE-2022-31023

Dev error stack trace leaking into prod in Play Framework

HIGH
7.5
CVSS Score
Published: June 2, 2022 at 06:05 PM UTC
Updated: June 17, 2026 at 04:44 AM UTC
2 products affected across 2 vendorsPlay FrameworkPlayframework

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Severity
HIGH7.5
Exploit prediction
EPSS 1%
SSVC
No known exploit

Description

Play Framework is a web framework for Java and Scala. Verions prior to 2.8.16 are vulnerable to generation of error messages containing sensitive information. Play Framework, when run in dev mode, shows verbose errors for easy debugging, including an exception stack trace. Play does this by configuring its `DefaultHttpErrorHandler` to do so based on the application mode. In its Scala API Play also provides a static object `DefaultHttpErrorHandler` that is configured to always show verbose errors. This is used as a default value in some Play APIs, so it is possible to inadvertently use this version in production. It is also possible to improperly configure the `DefaultHttpErrorHandler` object instance as the injected error handler. Both of these situations could result in verbose errors displaying to users in a production application, which could expose sensitive information from the application. In particular, the constructor for `CORSFilter` and `apply` method for `CORSActionBuilder` use the static object `DefaultHttpErrorHandler` as a default value. This is patched in Play Framework 2.8.16. The `DefaultHttpErrorHandler` object has been changed to use the prod-mode behavior, and `DevHttpErrorHandler` has been introduced for the dev-mode behavior. A workaround is available. When constructing a `CORSFilter` or `CORSActionBuilder`, ensure that a properly-configured error handler is passed. Generally this should be done by using the `HttpErrorHandler` instance provided through dependency injection or through Play's `BuiltInComponents`. Ensure that the application is not using the `DefaultHttpErrorHandler` static object in any code that may be run in production.

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

v < 2.8.16
Affected range stops below 2.8.16, so it looks safe — our inference, not a vendor statement
v < 2.8.16
Affected range stops below 2.8.16, so it looks safe — our inference, not a vendor statement

Remediation

No guide yet

No remediation guidance has been written for this CVE yet. What the record does show:

References (3)

x_refsource_MISCIssue TrackingPatchThird Party Advisory
https://github.com/playframework/playframework/pull/11305
x_refsource_MISCRelease NotesThird Party Advisory
https://github.com/playframework/playframework/releases/tag/2.8.16

SSVC — Action Prioritization

SSVCNo known exploitNot automatablePartial impact

SSVC signals action urgency (what to patch first), separate from CVSS which measures severity.

CVSS

Attack Vector
NETWORK
Complexity
LOW
Privileges
NONE
User Interaction
NONE
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality
HIGH
Integrity
NONE
Availability
NONE
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusMODIFIED
CWE
CWE-209

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