CVE-2007-5333 — tomcat
CVE-2007-5333 is a Information Exposure vulnerability in org.apache.tomcat:tomcat. 2 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.apache.tomcat:tomcat — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Exposure of Sensitive Information in Apache Tomcat
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
Real-World Exposure
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat☕org.apache.tomcat:tomcat☕org.apache.tomcat:tomcatReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Apache Tomcat 6.0.0 through 6.0.14, 5.5.0 through 5.5.25, and 4.1.0 through 4.1.36 does not properly handle (1) double quote (") characters or (2) %5C (encoded backslash) sequences in a cookie value, which might cause sensitive information such as session IDs to be leaked to remote attackers and enable session hijacking attacks. NOTE: this issue exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2007-3385.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat:tomcat | ≥ 6.0.0&&< 6.0.15 | 6.0.15org.apache.tomcat:tomcat:6.0.15 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat:tomcat | ≥ 5.5.0&&< 5.5.26 | 5.5.26org.apache.tomcat:tomcat:5.5.26 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat:tomcat | ≥ 4.1.0&&< 4.1.37 | 4.1.37org.apache.tomcat:tomcat:4.1.37 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Apache Tomcat 6.0.15 - Cookie Quote Handling Remote Information Disclosure
by John Kew · Feb 9, 2008
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.tomcat:tomcat, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.apache.tomcat:tomcat to 6.0.15 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2007-5333 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2007-5333 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2007-5333. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
Red Hat is aware of this issue and is tracking it via the following bug: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2007-5333 The Red Hat Product Security has rated this issue as having low security impact, a future update may address this flaw.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| JBEWS 1.0 for RHEL 4 | tomcat5-0:5.5.23-1.patch07.19.ep5.el4 | RHSA-2009:1454 |
| Red Hat Certificate System 7.3 | ant-0:1.6.5-1jpp_1rh | RHSA-2010:0602 |
| Red Hat Developer Suite V.3 | tomcat5-0:5.5.23-0jpp_18rh | RHSA-2009:1563 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 | tomcat5-0:5.5.23-0jpp.7.el5_3.2 | RHSA-2009:1164 |
| Red Hat Network Satellite Server v 5.2 | tomcat5-0:5.5.23-0jpp_18rh | RHSA-2009:1616 |
| RHAPS Version 2 for RHEL 4 | tomcat5-0:5.5.23-0jpp_4rh.16 | RHSA-2009:1562 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2007-5333 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2007-5333 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.