dbcve.org
TomcatWeb server / proxy · Apache

CVE-2013-2185

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2014-01-19
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 7.0.39 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The readObject method in the DiskFileItem class in Apache Tomcat and JBoss Web, as used in Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 6.1.0 and Red Hat JBoss Portal 6.0.0, allows remote attackers to write to arbitrary files via a NULL byte in a file name in a serialized instance, a similar issue to CVE-2013-2186. NOTE: this issue is reportedly disputed by the Apache Tomcat team, although Red Hat considers it a vulnerability. The dispute appears to regard whether it is the responsibility of applications to avoid providing untrusted data to be deserialized, or whether this class should inherently protect against this issue

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A deserialization vulnerability in Apache Tomcat/JBoss Web's DiskFileItem class allows remote attackers to write arbitrary files via a NULL byte injection in the file name field of a serialized object. When readObject() deserializes the crafted object, the NULL byte truncates the filename path, enabling path traversal and arbitrary file write operations.

MitigationValidate and sanitize all input before deserialization; apply vendor patches for JBoss EAP 6.1.0 and JBoss Portal 6.0.0; if no patch available, implement whitelist-based deserialization controls or disable serialization of DiskFileItem objects from untrusted sources.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
TomcatWeb server / proxy
Affected:<= 7.0.39
Jboss Enterprise Application PlatformApplication
Affected:= 6.1.0
Jboss Enterprise Portal PlatformApplication
Affected:= 6.0.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the installed Apache Tomcat version
    Check the version.jar or RELEASE-NOTES file in the Tomcat installation directory, or query the server's /manager/html/status page if enabled
    Affected if The installed Tomcat version is 7.0.39 or lower
  2. Identify the installed JBoss EAP or Portal version
    Check the version file in the JBoss installation (typically in $JBOSS_HOME/bin/version.properties or $JBOSS_HOME/jboss-modules.jar), or inspect the system properties from the server startup logs
    Affected if The installed version is exactly JBoss EAP 6.1.0 or JBoss Portal Platform 6.0.0
  3. Determine if the application uses DiskFileItem serialization
    Search application code and libraries for usage of org.apache.commons.fileupload.disk.DiskFileItem, particularly look for readObject() calls or serialization of file upload objects from remote clients
    Affected if The application deserializes DiskFileItem objects from untrusted network sources
  4. Check for exposed file upload endpoints
    Review web.xml and application deployment descriptors for servlet mappings that handle multipart file uploads, particularly those that may accept serialized Java objects
    Affected if File upload endpoints accept and process requests from untrusted clients without input validation
  5. Inspect deserialization security controls
    Review server configuration and custom code for java.deserialization filters, SecurityManager settings, or allowlist-based deserialization controls applied to incoming object streams
    Affected if No deserialization filters or allowlists are configured to block untrusted object deserialization

You are affected if you run Apache Tomcat 7.0.39 or lower, JBoss EAP 6.1.0, or JBoss Portal 6.0.0 AND your application deserializes DiskFileItem objects from untrusted network sources.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 7.0.39
Interim mitigation

Validate and sanitize all input before deserialization; apply vendor patches for JBoss EAP 6.1.0 and JBoss Portal 6.0.0; if no patch available, implement whitelist-based deserialization controls or disable serialization of DiskFileItem objects from untrusted sources.

Fix this in Tomcat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing5.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,790
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2013-2185 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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