TomcatWeb server / proxy · Apache

CVE-2017-15706

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-01-31

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to after 8.5.23 or later.

See remediation →

62/100

Remediation priority · Elevated

Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

As part of the fix for bug 61201, the documentation for Apache Tomcat 9.0.0.M22 to 9.0.1, 8.5.16 to 8.5.23, 8.0.45 to 8.0.47 and 7.0.79 to 7.0.82 included an updated description of the search algorithm used by the CGI Servlet to identify which script to execute. The update was not correct. As a result, some scripts may have failed to execute as expected and other scripts may have been executed unexpectedly. Note that the behaviour of the CGI servlet has remained unchanged in this regard. It is only the documentation of the behaviour that was wrong and has been corrected.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

This is a documentation-only issue in Apache Tomcat's CGI Servlet. The documentation describing the script search algorithm was incorrect, but the actual servlet code behavior remained unchanged. The incorrect documentation may have caused users to misconfigure their setups, leading to some scripts failing to execute or executing unexpectedly.

MitigationNo code fix is required. Users should consult the corrected documentation (post-fix versions) to understand the actual CGI Servlet behavior and verify their configurations are correct.

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

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

TomcatWeb server / proxy

Affected:>= 7.0.79, <= 7.0.82>= 8.0.45, <= 8.0.47>= 8.5.16, <= 8.5.23= 9.0.0= 9.0.1

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: Low
Privileges: None
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: Low
Availability: None

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

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

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

Identify Apache Tomcat version

Check the server info or the RELEASE-NOTES file in the Tomcat installation directory, or query the server's HTTP response headers if exposed.

Affected if The installed version falls within 7.0.79-7.0.82, 8.0.45-8.0.47, 8.5.16-8.5.23, 9.0.0, or 9.0.1
Confirm CGI Servlet is in use

Look for the CGI servlet configuration in web.xml (global or application-specific) or check for the presence of the CGI servlet class (org.apache.catalina.servlets.CGIServlet) in the deployment.

Affected if The CGI Servlet is configured and enabled in the Tomcat environment
Examine CGI servlet configuration for executable path settings

Review the CGI servlet init parameters in web.xml, specifically 'executable' and 'commandPrefix' parameters, as the incorrect documentation may have led to misconfiguration of script execution paths.

Affected if The configuration relies on assumptions about the script search algorithm that differed from actual behavior (the documentation described a different search order than what the code performed)
Verify script file location and naming against actual code behavior

Test CGI script execution directly or review logs to confirm scripts in the cgi-root directory are found as expected; the documentation incorrectly implied a different file resolution order.

Affected if Scripts fail to execute or execute unexpectedly due to mismatched expectations about where Tomcat searches for scripts

A user is affected if they run an affected Tomcat version with CGI Servlet enabled AND their configuration was based on the incorrect documentation, potentially causing script execution failures or unexpected behavior.

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

Remediation

From vendor data

Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 8.5.23

Interim mitigation

No code fix is required. Users should consult the corrected documentation (post-fix versions) to understand the actual CGI Servlet behavior and verify their configurations are correct.

Fix this in Tomcat Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation1.0 h
Review / QA1.0 h

2.0 hours of engineering $750

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Scan for this in your stack

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References

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-15706 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2017-15706?

The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.

The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
A config change or rule that shut the vector down
A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to after 8.5.23 or later

Severity 5.3 Medium

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 6.1%

Affects: Tomcat

Remediation

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Fix this in Tomcat 2 hrs · Low

Typical engagement from $750

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

We specialise in CVE remediation. Send your environment and we’ll scope CVE-2017-15706 and return a fixed quote.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References