CVE-2012-4431 — tomcat
CVE-2012-4431 is a CWE-264 vulnerability in org.apache.tomcat:tomcat. A fix is available for org.apache.tomcat:tomcat — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Cross-Site Request Forgery 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: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
org/apache/catalina/filters/CsrfPreventionFilter.java in Apache Tomcat 6.x before 6.0.36 and 7.x before 7.0.32 allows remote attackers to bypass the cross-site request forgery (CSRF) protection mechanism via a request that lacks a session identifier.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat:tomcat | ≥ 6.0.0&&< 6.0.36 | 6.0.36org.apache.tomcat:tomcat:6.0.36 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat:tomcat | ≥ 7.0.0&&< 7.0.32 | 7.0.32org.apache.tomcat:tomcat:7.0.32 |
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 6.0.36 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2012-4431 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-2012-4431 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2012-4431. 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.
This issue did not affect the versions of tomcat5 as shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and tomcat6 as shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 as they did not include the CSRF prevention filter.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| JBoss Data Grid 6.1 | see advisory | RHSA-2013:0665 |
| Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 6.0 | see advisory | RHSA-2013:0648 |
| Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 6 for RHEL 5 | jbossweb-0:7.0.17-4.Final_redhat_3.ep6.el5 | RHSA-2013:0647 |
| Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Web Server 2 for RHEL 5 | tomcat6-0:6.0.35-6_patch_06.ep6.el5 | RHSA-2013:0266 |
| Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Web Server 2 for RHEL 5 | tomcat7-0:7.0.30-3_patch_02.ep6.el5 | RHSA-2013:0268 |
| Red Hat JBoss Operations Network 3.2 | see advisory | RHSA-2013:1853 |
| Red Hat JBoss Portal Platform 6.1 | see advisory | RHSA-2013:1437 |
| Red Hat JBoss Web Server 2.0 | see advisory | RHSA-2013:0265 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2012-4431 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2012-4431 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.