How severe is CVE-2009-2902?

No CVSS score has been assigned to CVE-2009-2902 yet. Review the advisory details and affected package list to assess your exposure.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2009-2902?

CVE-2009-2902 affects the following packages: org.apache.tomcat:tomcat (Maven), org.apache.tomcat:tomcat (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2009-2902?

Update org.apache.tomcat:tomcat to 5.5.29 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2009-2902 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2009-2902 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-2009-2902 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-2009-2902 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2009-2902 yet. This does not mean the vulnerability cannot be exploited — absence of public exploits does not imply safety. Apply the recommended fix and use O3 Security to monitor your exposure.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2009-2902?

CVE-2009-2902 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 10.7%, placing it in the 96th 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. This score warrants monitoring and prompt remediation.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2009-2902?

CVE-2009-2902 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-2009-2902 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2009-2902 was published on May 2, 2022 and was last updated on February 21, 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-2009-2902 — tomcat

Fix: apache/tomcat@3e1010b

CVE-2009-2902 is a Path Traversal vulnerability in org.apache.tomcat:tomcat. EPSS puts its 30-day exploitation probability at 10.7% (96th percentile). A fix is available for org.apache.tomcat:tomcat — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') in Apache Tomcat

Published

May 2, 2022

Updated

Feb 21, 2024

Affected

2 pkgs

Patched

2 / 2

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Nov 3, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

10.7%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Moderate Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs96th percentile — riskier than 96% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

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

Real-World Exposure

2 pkgs affected

☕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 5.5.0 through 5.5.28 and 6.0.0 through 6.0.20 allows remote attackers to delete work-directory files via directory traversal sequences in a WAR filename, as demonstrated by the ...war filename.

Affected Packages

2 total 2 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat`	≥ 5.5.0&&< 5.5.29	5.5.29`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat:5.5.29`
☕Maven	`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat`	≥ 6.0.0&&< 6.0.24	6.0.24`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat:6.0.24`

Affected Products

1 product · 51 configurations

Application

tomcatapache

51 versions

5.5.05.5.15.5.25.5.35.5.45.5.55.5.65.5.75.5.85.5.95.5.105.5.11

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 5.5.29 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2009-2902 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 HatLow

The Red Hat Product Security has rated this issue as having low security impact, a future update may address this flaw. More information regarding issue severity can be found here: https://access.redhat.com/security/updates/classification/

Product	Fixed in	Advisory
JBEWS 1.0 for RHEL 4	`glassfish-jsf-0:1.2_13-2.ep5.el4`	RHSA-2010:0119
Red Hat Certificate System 7.3	`tomcat5-0:5.5.23-0jpp_4rh.19`	RHSA-2010:0693
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5	`tomcat5-0:5.5.23-0jpp.9.el5_5`	RHSA-2010:0580
RHAPS Version 2 for RHEL 4	`tomcat5-0:5.5.23-0jpp_4rh.17`	RHSA-2010:0582

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

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