dbcve.org
TomcatWeb server / proxy · Apache

CVE-2024-52316

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.0.96 / 10.1.31 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Unchecked Error Condition vulnerability in Apache Tomcat. If Tomcat is configured to use a custom Jakarta Authentication (formerly JASPIC) ServerAuthContext component which may throw an exception during the authentication process without explicitly setting an HTTP status to indicate failure, the authentication may not fail, allowing the user to bypass the authentication process. There are no known Jakarta Authentication components that behave in this way. This issue affects Apache Tomcat: from 11.0.0-M1 through 11.0.0-M26, from 10.1.0-M1 through 10.1.30, from 9.0.0-M1 through 9.0.95. The following versions were EOL at the time the CVE was created but are known to be affected: 8.5.0 though 8.5.100. Other EOL versions may also be affected. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 11.0.0, 10.1.31 or 9.0.96, which fix the 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

Apache Tomcat contains an unchecked error condition in Jakarta Authentication (JASPIC). When a custom ServerAuthContext throws an exception during authentication without explicitly setting an HTTP status to indicate failure, Tomcat fails to properly handle the error, allowing the authentication to succeed when it should fail. This enables authentication bypass for applications using custom JASPIC implementations that don't properly set HTTP response status on exceptions.

MitigationUpgrade to Apache Tomcat 11.0.0, 10.1.31, or 9.0.96. If using custom Jakarta Authentication ServerAuthContext components, ensure they explicitly set an appropriate HTTP status (e.g., 401) when authentication fails rather than throwing unchecked exceptions.

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:>= 9.0.0, < 9.0.96>= 10.1.0, < 10.1.31= 11.0.0
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 11.0

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/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 installation and version
    Check the server's Apache Tomcat version by examining the catalina.jar manifest or the RELEASE-NOTES file in the Tomcat home directory. Common locations: $CATALINA_HOME/lib/catalina.jar or check the version via startup scripts.
    Affected if The installed version falls within >= 9.0.0, < 9.0.96 OR >= 10.1.0, < 10.1.31 OR = 11.0.0.
  2. Confirm JASPIC (Jakarta Authentication) is in use
    Inspect the application's deployment descriptor (web.xml) and look for <auth-method>JASPIC</auth-method> or check for programmatically configured JASPIC authentication in the application code.
    Affected if JASPIC authentication method is configured and enabled.
  3. Check for custom ServerAuthContext implementation
    Search the application codebase for classes implementing jakarta.security.auth.message.ServerAuthContext interface. Also check for any JAR files in WEB-INF/lib that contain JASPIC authentication implementations.
    Affected if A custom ServerAuthContext implementation exists in the application.
  4. Examine ServerAuthContext validation behavior
    Review the custom ServerAuthContext code, specifically the validateRequest method. Look for places where exceptions are thrown without calling messsageInfo.setResponseStatus(code) with an appropriate HTTP error code before throwing.
    Affected if The custom ServerAuthContext throws authentication exceptions without explicitly setting an HTTP status code on the response.

A user is affected if they run a vulnerable Tomcat version (9.0.0-9.0.95, 10.1.0-10.1.30, or 11.0.0) AND use custom JASPIC ServerAuthContext that throws exceptions without setting HTTP status codes.

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 9.0.96 / 10.1.31 or later
Fixed in 9.0.9610.1.31
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Apache Tomcat 11.0.0, 10.1.31, or 9.0.96. If using custom Jakarta Authentication ServerAuthContext components, ensure they explicitly set an appropriate HTTP status (e.g., 401) when authentication fails rather than throwing unchecked exceptions.

Recommended fix High confidence

Apache Tomcat 9.0.96, 10.1.31, or 11.0.0 (depending on major version branch)

  1. Identify current Apache Tomcat version by checking the $CATALINA_HOME/lib/extras/catalina.jar or startup output
  2. Stop the Tomcat service before upgrading
  3. Download the fixed Tomcat version (9.0.96 for 9.x, 10.1.31 for 10.1.x, or 11.0.0 for 11.x) from the official Apache Tomcat download page (tomcat.apache.org)
  4. Extract the new Tomcat version to a temporary location
  5. Backup the existing Tomcat installation directory (especially conf/ and webapps/ directories)
  6. Copy the new Tomcat binaries over the existing installation, preserving conf/server.xml, conf/context.xml, and any custom configuration files
  7. Ensure any custom Jakarta Authentication (JASPIC) ServerAuthContext implementations explicitly set HTTP status on authentication failures if using custom authentication
  8. Restart the Tomcat service
Caveat Minimal risk - the fix addresses an edge case in custom JASPIC auth where exceptions didn't fail authentication; no known Jakarta Authentication components are affected

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

Fix this in Tomcat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,664.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-52316 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2024-52316 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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