How severe is CVE-2008-2938?

No CVSS score has been assigned to CVE-2008-2938 yet. Review the advisory details and affected package list to assess your exposure.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2008-2938?

CVE-2008-2938 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-2008-2938?

Update org.apache.tomcat:tomcat to 4.1.39 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2008-2938 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2008-2938 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-2008-2938 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Resolve every user-supplied path to its canonical form and reject anything that escapes the intended directory, and run the component under an account that has no read or write access outside the directory it legitimately serves.

Is CVE-2008-2938 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 4 known exploit references for CVE-2008-2938, including 2 documented proof-of-concept exploits on Exploit-DB and 2 in-the-wild exploitations 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-2008-2938?

CVE-2008-2938 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 99.7%, 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-2008-2938?

CVE-2008-2938 is classified as Path Traversal (CWE-22). 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-2008-2938 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2008-2938 was published on May 1, 2022 and was last updated on February 23, 2024. 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-2008-2938 — tomcat

Fix: apache/tomcat@c55ad56

CVE-2008-2938 is a Path Traversal vulnerability in org.apache.tomcat:tomcat. 4 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 Directory Traversal vulnerability

Published

May 1, 2022

Updated

Feb 23, 2024

Affected

3 pkgs

Patched

3 / 3

Exploits

4 known

Exploitation data as of Oct 21, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

99.7%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

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

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

Directory traversal 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, when allowLinking and UTF-8 are enabled, allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files via encoded directory traversal sequences in the URI, a different vulnerability than CVE-2008-2370. NOTE: versions earlier than 6.0.18 were reported affected, but the vendor advisory lists 6.0.16 as the last affected version.

Affected Packages

3 total 3 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat`	≥ 4.1.0&&< 4.1.39	4.1.39`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat:4.1.39`
☕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&&< 6.0.18	6.0.18`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat:6.0.18`

Affected Products

1 product · 3 configurations

Application

tomcatapache

≥ 6.0.0 && ≤ 6.0.16

range

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-14489remoteunix✓ Verified

Apache Tomcat < 6.0.18 - 'utf8' Directory Traversal

by mywisdom · Jul 28, 2010

Exploit-DB Source

EDB-6229remotemultiple✓ Verified

Apache Tomcat < 6.0.18 - 'utf8' Directory Traversal (PoC)

by Simon Ryeo · Aug 11, 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 4.1.39 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2008-2938 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Resolve every user-supplied path to its canonical form and reject anything that escapes the intended directory, and run the component under an account that has no read or write access outside the directory it legitimately serves.

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 HatModerate

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 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

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