spring-projects / spring-projects/spring-security
@PostFilter throws an IllegalArgumentException on null return after migrating to @EnableMethodSecurity
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Description
Describe the bug
This might be either a bug, or a documentation gap.
On EnableGlobalMethodSecurity, PostFilter on a null return will return null from ExpressionBasedPostInvocationAdvice.
On EnableMethodSecurity, PostFilterAuthorizationMethodInterceptor calls DefaultMethodSecurityExpressionHandler.filter which throws an IllegalArgumentException.
To Reproduce
@Configuration
@EnableMethodSecurity
class SecurityConfig {
}
@Service
class MyService {
@PostFilter("filterObject != null")
public List<Object> someMethod() {
return null;
}
}
Call "someMethod()". It will throw an exception.
Switch to the legacy configuration:
@Configuration
@EnableGlobalMethodSecurity(prePostEnabled = true)
class SecurityConfig {
}
Call "someMethod()" again. It will return null.
Expected behavior
Either:
- EnableMethodSecurity should preserve the legacy behavior from EnableGlobalMethodSecurity and return null when a PostFilter method returns null
or
- The migration / PostFilter documentation should state that null return values aren't supported, and that this is different from the legacy EnableGlobalMethodSecurity.
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start with PostFilterAuthorizationMethodInterceptor and DefaultMethodSecurityExpressionHandler, then compare their null handling with ExpressionBasedPostInvocationAdvice under the legacy configuration. Reproduce the example with @EnableMethodSecurity and @EnableGlobalMethodSecurity; done means the null-return behavior is resolved consistently or the documented migration behavior is made explicit.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- java, spring
- Domain
- authorization, security
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 3/5
- Estimated time
- 1-2 days
- Activity status
- Quiet
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 58/100