dbcve.org
TomcatWeb server / proxy · Apache

CVE-2017-12616

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-09-19
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
High EPSS 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
When using a VirtualDirContext with Apache Tomcat 7.0.0 to 7.0.80 it was possible to bypass security constraints and/or view the source code of JSPs for resources served by the VirtualDirContext using a specially crafted request.

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 through 7.0.80 contains a path traversal vulnerability in VirtualDirContext that allows attackers to bypass security constraints and potentially view JSP source code via specially crafted requests.

MitigationUpgrade Apache Tomcat to version 7.0.81 or later. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, avoid using VirtualDirContext or implement additional access controls on the affected endpoints.

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= 7.0.1= 7.0.2= 7.0.3= 7.0.4= 7.0.5= 7.0.6= 7.0.7= 7.0.8= 7.0.9= 7.0.10= 7.0.11

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

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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. Check Apache Tomcat version
    Examine the Tomcat version banner at startup, or access the server-info page at /server-info, or inspect the MANIFEST.MF file inside the catalina.jar located in the lib directory
    Affected if The version displayed is 7.0.0 through 7.0.80 (any release in this range)
  2. Identify if VirtualDirContext is configured
    Inspect the server.xml file (typically in the conf directory) for any <Context> elements that specify the VirtualDirContext class as the context factory, or search for 'VirtualDirContext' within the XML configuration files
    Affected if A <Context> element contains org.apache.catalina.VirtualDirContext as the context factory or VirtualDirContext is otherwise referenced in the configuration

You are affected only if your Tomcat version falls within 7.0.0 to 7.0.80 AND VirtualDirContext is actively configured in your server.xml or context configuration files.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade Apache Tomcat to version 7.0.81 or later. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, avoid using VirtualDirContext or implement additional access controls on the affected endpoints.

Fix this in Tomcat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
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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-2017-12616 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data