CVE-2005-2090
CVE-2005-2090 is a security vulnerability in apache tomcat. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security detects and blocks CVE-2005-2090 exploitation at runtime via eBPF exploit-chain detection and L7 egress monitoring, even on unpatched systems.
Jakarta Tomcat 5.0.19 (Coyote/1.1) and Tomcat 4.1.24 (Coyote/1.0) allows remote attackers to poison the web cache, bypass web application firewall protection, and conduct XSS attacks…
Description
Jakarta Tomcat 5.0.19 (Coyote/1.1) and Tomcat 4.1.24 (Coyote/1.0) allows remote attackers to poison the web cache, bypass web application firewall protection, and conduct XSS attacks via an HTTP request with both a "Transfer-Encoding: chunked" header and a Content-Length header, which causes Tomcat to incorrectly handle and forward the body of the request in a way that causes the receiving server to process it as a separate HTTP request, aka "HTTP Request Smuggling."
Affected Products
tomcatapacheResearch use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Vendor / applianceDetect
Inventory every apache tomcat deployment and check each version against the affected-products list above. Because the exploit targets the running system rather than your application code, also watch for exploitation at the network and runtime layer — O3 flags the exploit behaviour from runtime telemetry and egress traffic even before a vulnerable build is confirmed.
Remediation status
No patch has shipped for CVE-2005-2090 yet — track the apache tomcat advisory for a fixed release and apply the workarounds below in the meantime.
Mitigate without a patch
Cut exposure now: restrict the management/admin interface to trusted networks, segment the device, and apply the vendor's recommended configuration mitigations and any WAF/IPS signature. O3's runtime protection blocks the exploit chain at execution, holding the line on unpatched or end-of-life systems until you can patch.
How O3 protects you
O3 detects and blocks CVE-2005-2090 exploitation at runtime: eBPF exploit-chain detection, plus L7 egress monitoring that catches the post-exploitation callback and severs the attacker's outbound channel.
Tailored to CVE-2005-2090. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2005-2090 being exploited in your environment?
O3's eBPF runtime sensors and L7 egress monitoring detect and block the CVE-2005-2090 exploit chain at execution — protecting unpatched and end-of-life systems until the vendor patch is applied.