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Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 15 Apr 2022. Known ransomware use
TomcatWeb server / proxy · Apache

CVE-2017-12615

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2017-09-19
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 7.0.79 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild Ransomware High EPSS Public exploit Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available

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
When running Apache Tomcat 7.0.0 to 7.0.79 on Windows with HTTP PUTs enabled (e.g. via setting the readonly initialisation parameter of the Default to false) it was possible to upload a JSP file to the server via a specially crafted request. This JSP could then be requested and any code it contained would be executed by the server.

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

Apache Tomcat 7.0.0-7.0.79 on Windows with HTTP PUT enabled (readonly=false) allows remote attackers to upload malicious JSP files via specially crafted PUT requests. When these JSP files are subsequently requested, the server executes the embedded code, enabling full remote code execution.

MitigationSet the Default servlet's readonly parameter to true (the default), or if PUT functionality is required, implement proper authentication and restrict uploaded file types; alternatively, upgrade to Tomcat 7.0.80 or later.

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:>= 7.0.0, <= 7.0.79
Enterprise Linux Server Update Services For Sap SolutionsApplication
Affected:= 7.4= 7.6= 7.7
Jboss Enterprise Web ServerApplication
Affected:= 2.0.0= 3.0.0
Jboss Enterprise Web Server Text Only AdvisoriesApplication
Affected:all versions
Enterprise Linux DesktopOperating system
Affected:= 6.0= 7.0
Enterprise Linux EusOperating system
Affected:= 7.4= 7.5= 7.6= 7.7
Enterprise Linux Eus Compute NodeOperating system
Affected:= 7.4= 7.5= 7.6= 7.7
Enterprise Linux For Ibm Z SystemsOperating system
Affected:= 7.0_s390x

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
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 Tomcat version
    Check the version of Apache Tomcat by examining the serverinfo.properties file in the Tomcat lib directory, or by looking at the bootstrap.jar version, or checking the server startup logs for the version number.
    Affected if The installed version is between 7.0.00 and 7.0.79 inclusive.
  2. Confirm operating system
    Determine the operating system where Tomcat is running. This can be done via system commands (uname, systeminfo, or checking environment variables) or by examining the file system paths used by Tomcat.
    Affected if Tomcat is running on Windows (the vulnerability only affects Windows deployments).
  3. Check Default servlet readonly configuration
    Examine the conf/web.xml file in the Tomcat installation directory. Locate the Default servlet configuration section and inspect the <readonly> parameter within the <init-param> tags.
    Affected if The <readonly> parameter is set to false, enabling write operations (HTTP PUT and DELETE methods).
  4. Verify if HTTP PUT method is reachable
    Check if the servlet container allows PUT requests. This can be confirmed by reviewing the web.xml configuration and testing with a benign HTTP PUT request if authorized, or by reviewing any deployed application's web.xml for custom servlet configurations that may override the default.
    Affected if HTTP PUT method is permitted (readonly=false) and no additional security constraints block it.

You are affected if you are running Apache Tomcat 7.0.0-7.0.79 on Windows with the Default servlet's readonly parameter set to false, allowing HTTP PUT requests.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 7.0.79
Vendor patch lists.apache.org →
Interim mitigation

Set the Default servlet's readonly parameter to true (the default), or if PUT functionality is required, implement proper authentication and restrict uploaded file types; alternatively, upgrade to Tomcat 7.0.80 or later.

Recommended fix High confidence

Tomcat 7.0.80 or later

  1. Upgrade Apache Tomcat from versions 7.0.0-7.0.79 to version 7.0.80 or later
  2. After upgrade, verify the Default servlet's readonly parameter is set to true (this is the default value)
  3. If using a custom server.xml configuration, ensure the Default servlet configuration includes: <DefaultServlet ... readonly="true">
  4. Restart Tomcat after making configuration changes
  5. Test that HTTP PUT requests for JSP files are rejected
Caveat If your application relies on HTTP PUT or DELETE operations for non-JSP files, setting readonly=true will disable these operations; migrate to use POST for file uploads

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Tomcat Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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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-2017-12615 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data