Spring security 403 forbidden always

Spring Security 403 Forbidden Error – Explanation and Examples

If you are encountering a 403 Forbidden error in your Spring Security application, it means that the server understands the request but refuses to fulfill it. This typically occurs when a user tries to access a resource that they do not have permission to access.

Possible Causes and Solutions:

1. Insufficient or Misconfigured Role-Based Access: Ensure that the user accessing the resource has the appropriate roles/authorities assigned. You can configure this in your Spring Security configuration file. For example:

@Configuration
@EnableWebSecurity
public class SecurityConfig extends WebSecurityConfigurerAdapter {

  @Override
  protected void configure(HttpSecurity http) throws Exception {
    http.authorizeRequests()
      .antMatchers("/admin/**").hasRole("ADMIN")
      .antMatchers("/user/**").hasRole("USER")
      .anyRequest().authenticated()
      .and()
      .formLogin();
  }
  
  // ... other configurations
}
    

2. CSRF Protection: Spring Security includes CSRF (Cross-Site Request Forgery) protection by default. If your application involves performing actions through HTTP POST requests, you need to ensure that you include the CSRF token with the request. For example, you can include the CSRF token in a form using Thymeleaf:

  
  
  Submit

    

3. URL Access Patterns: Check if the URL patterns in your Spring Security configuration match the specific resource you are trying to access. Make sure they are correctly defined and your request is being intercepted by the appropriate rules. For example:

@Configuration
@EnableWebSecurity
public class SecurityConfig extends WebSecurityConfigurerAdapter {

  @Override
  protected void configure(HttpSecurity http) throws Exception {
    http.authorizeRequests()
      .antMatchers("/admin/**").hasRole("ADMIN") // Correct URL pattern
      .antMatchers("/public/**").permitAll() // Correct URL pattern
      .anyRequest().authenticated()
      .and()
      .formLogin();
  }
  
  // ... other configurations
}
    

4. URL Redirection and Forwarding: If you are using URL redirection or forwarding in your application, make sure the target resource is accessible by the user. Ensure the appropriate access rules are defined for the redirected/forwarded URL.
5. Request Method Restrictions: If your application uses HTTP methods other than GET (e.g., POST, PUT, DELETE), ensure that the user has the necessary permissions for those methods. You can restrict the methods in your Spring Security configuration. For example:

@Configuration
@EnableWebSecurity
public class SecurityConfig extends WebSecurityConfigurerAdapter {

  @Override
  protected void configure(HttpSecurity http) throws Exception {
    http.authorizeRequests()
      .antMatchers(HttpMethod.POST, "/admin/**").hasRole("ADMIN") // Allow POST only for admin
      .antMatchers(HttpMethod.GET, "/user/**").hasRole("USER") // Allow GET only for user
      .anyRequest().authenticated()
      .and()
      .formLogin();
  }
  
  // ... other configurations
}
    

By inspecting the potential causes mentioned above and adjusting your Spring Security configuration and resource access rules accordingly, you can fix the 403 Forbidden error in your application.

Note that this explanation assumes you are using Spring Security with Java-based configuration. If you are using XML-based configuration or a different version of Spring Security, the syntax and approaches may vary slightly.