How severe is CVE-2012-3546?

No CVSS score has been assigned to CVE-2012-3546 yet. Review the advisory details and affected package list to assess your exposure.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2012-3546?

CVE-2012-3546 affects the following packages: org.apache.tomcat:tomcat (Maven), org.apache.tomcat:tomcat (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2012-3546?

Update org.apache.tomcat:tomcat to 6.0.36 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2012-3546 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2012-3546 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-2012-3546 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-2012-3546?

O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2012-3546 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.

Is CVE-2012-3546 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2012-3546 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-2012-3546?

CVE-2012-3546 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 12.0%, 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-2012-3546?

CVE-2012-3546 is classified as CWE-264 (CWE-264). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

When was CVE-2012-3546 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2012-3546 was published on May 17, 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-2012-3546 — tomcat

Fix: apache/tomcat@f78c0cd

CVE-2012-3546 is a CWE-264 vulnerability in org.apache.tomcat:tomcat. EPSS puts its 30-day exploitation probability at 12.0% (96th percentile). A fix is available for org.apache.tomcat:tomcat — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Authentication Bypass in Apache Tomcat

Published

May 17, 2022

Updated

Nov 8, 2023

Affected

2 pkgs

Patched

2 / 2

Exploits

None indexed

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

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

12.0%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Moderate Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs96th percentile — riskier than 96% 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

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

org/apache/catalina/realm/RealmBase.java in Apache Tomcat 6.x before 6.0.36 and 7.x before 7.0.30, when FORM authentication is used, allows remote attackers to bypass security-constraint checks by leveraging a previous setUserPrincipal call and then placing /j_security_check at the end of a URI.

Affected Packages

2 total 2 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat`	≥ 6.0.0&&< 6.0.36	6.0.36`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat:6.0.36`
☕Maven	`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat`	≥ 7.0.0&&< 7.0.30	7.0.30`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat:7.0.30`

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 6.0.36 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2012-3546 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-2012-3546 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.

Tailored to CVE-2012-3546. 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 HatImportant

Tomcat 5.5 has reached the end of its supported upstream life-cycle, and the Apache Tomcat project no longer tests security flaws to determine whether they affect Tomcat 5.5. Red Hat has tested tomcat 5.5 as shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and JBoss Enterprise Web Server 1, and found that it is affected by…

Product	Fixed in	Advisory
JBEWP 5 for RHEL 5	`aopalliance-0:1.0-5.2.jdk6.ep5.el5`	RHSA-2013:0196
JBEWP 5 for RHEL 6	`aopalliance-0:1.0-5.3.ep5.el6`	RHSA-2013:0195
JBoss Enterprise BRMS Platform 5.3	see advisory	RHSA-2013:0221
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5	`tomcat5-0:5.5.23-0jpp.38.el5_9`	RHSA-2013:0640
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6	`tomcat6-0:6.0.24-52.el6_4`	RHSA-2013:0623
Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 4.3	see advisory	RHSA-2013:0146
Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 4.3 for RHEL 5	`jbossas-0:4.3.0-11.GA_CP10_patch_02.2.ep1.el5`	RHSA-2013:0147
Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 5.2	see advisory	RHSA-2013:0194

Ubuntu

USN-1685-1Ubuntu

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2012-3546 in your dependencies?

O3 Security finds CVE-2012-3546 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