CVE-2010-3718 — tomcat
Fix: apache/tomcat@a697f7bCVE-2010-3718 is a security vulnerability in org.apache.tomcat:tomcat. 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 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 7.0.0 through 7.0.3, 6.0.x, and 5.5.x, when running within a SecurityManager, does not make the ServletContext attribute read-only, which allows local web applications to read or write files outside of the intended working directory, as demonstrated using a directory traversal attack.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat:tomcat | ≥ 7.0.0&&< 7.0.4 | 7.0.4org.apache.tomcat:tomcat:7.0.4 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat:tomcat | ≥ 6.0.0&&< 6.0.30 | 6.0.30org.apache.tomcat:tomcat:6.0.30 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat:tomcat | ≥ 5.5.0&&< 5.5.30 | 5.5.30org.apache.tomcat:tomcat:5.5.30 |
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 7.0.4 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2010-3718 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-2010-3718 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2010-3718. 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.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 | tomcat5-0:5.5.23-0jpp.22.el5_7 | RHSA-2011:1845 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | tomcat6-0:6.0.24-33.el6 | RHSA-2011:0791 |
| Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Web Server 1 for RHEL 5 | ant-0:1.7.1-13.jdk6.ep5.el5 | RHSA-2011:0897 |
| Red Hat JBoss Web Server 1.0 | see advisory | RHSA-2011:0896 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2010-3718 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2010-3718 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.