How severe is CVE-2008-1232?

No CVSS score has been assigned to CVE-2008-1232 yet. Review the advisory details and affected package list to assess your exposure.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2008-1232?

CVE-2008-1232 affects the following packages: org.apache.tomcat:tomcat (Maven), org.apache.tomcat:tomcat (Maven), org.apache.tomcat:tomcat (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2008-1232?

Update org.apache.tomcat:tomcat to 4.1.38 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2008-1232 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2008-1232 in my Maven dependencies?

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.

How do I mitigate CVE-2008-1232 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

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 does O3 Security protect against CVE-2008-1232?

O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2008-1232 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.

Is CVE-2008-1232 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 2 known exploit references for CVE-2008-1232, including 1 documented proof-of-concept exploit on Exploit-DB and 1 in-the-wild exploitation observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2008-1232?

CVE-2008-1232 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 75.9%, placing it in the 100th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A score above 50% indicates significantly elevated exploitation risk — immediate patching is strongly recommended.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2008-1232?

CVE-2008-1232 is classified as Cross-site Scripting (XSS) (CWE-79). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation. This is a high-impact weakness class that often enables remote code execution or data exposure.

When was CVE-2008-1232 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2008-1232 was published on May 1, 2022 and was last updated on November 8, 2023. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

☕ Maven

Not in CISA KEV

CVE-2008-1232 — tomcat

CVE-2008-1232 is a Cross-site Scripting (XSS) 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.

Apache Tomcat Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability

Published

May 1, 2022

Updated

Nov 8, 2023

Affected

3 pkgs

Patched

3 / 3

Exploits

2 known

Exploitation data as of Sep 18, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

75.9%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Very High Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs100th percentile — riskier than 100% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

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

3 pkgs affected

☕org.apache.tomcat:tomcat☕org.apache.tomcat:tomcat☕org.apache.tomcat:tomcat

Real-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

Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Apache Tomcat 4.1.0 through 4.1.37, 5.5.0 through 5.5.26, and 6.0.0 through 6.0.16 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted string that is used in the message argument to the HttpServletResponse.sendError method.

Affected Packages

3 total 3 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat`	≥ 4.1.0&&< 4.1.38	4.1.38`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat:4.1.38`
☕Maven	`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat`	≥ 5.5.0&&< 5.5.27	5.5.27`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat:5.5.27`
☕Maven	`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat`	≥ 6.0.0&&< 6.0.17	6.0.17`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat:6.0.17`

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

EDB-32138remotemultiple✓ Verified

Apache Tomcat 6.0.16 - 'HttpServletResponse.sendError()' Cross-Site Scripting

by Konstantin Kolinko · Aug 1, 2008

Exploit-DB Source

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
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 4.1.38 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2008-1232 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-2008-1232 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.

Tailored to CVE-2008-1232. 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 HatLow

Product	Fixed in	Advisory
JBEAP 4.2.0 for RHEL 4	`jbossweb-0:2.0.0-5.CP07.0jpp.ep1.1.el4`	RHSA-2008:0877
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_12rh`	RHSA-2008:0864
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5	`tomcat5-0:5.5.23-0jpp.7.el5_2.1`	RHSA-2008:0648
Red Hat Network Satellite Server v 5.0	`tomcat5-0:5.0.30-0jpp_12rh`	RHSA-2008:1007
RHAPS Version 2 for RHEL 4	`tomcat5-0:5.5.23-0jpp_4rh.9`	RHSA-2008:0862

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2008-1232 in your dependencies?

O3 Security finds CVE-2008-1232 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works