CVE-2014-0050 — commons-fileupload
Fix: apache/commons-fileupload@c61ff05CVE-2014-0050 is a CWE-264 vulnerability in commons-fileupload:commons-fileupload. 3 public exploit or proof-of-concept references are indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for commons-fileupload:commons-fileupload — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Commons FileUpload Denial of service vulnerability
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2014-0050.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
Real-World Exposure
commons-fileupload:commons-fileupload☕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
MultipartStream.java in Apache Commons FileUpload before 1.3.1, as used in Apache Tomcat, JBoss Web, and other products, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop and CPU consumption) via a crafted Content-Type header that bypasses a loop's intended exit conditions.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | commons-fileupload:commons-fileupload | all versions | 1.3.1commons-fileupload:commons-fileupload:1.3.1 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat:tomcat | ≥ 8.0.0-RC1&&< 8.0.3 | 8.0.3org.apache.tomcat:tomcat:8.0.3 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat:tomcat | ≥ 7.0.0&&< 7.0.52 | 7.0.52org.apache.tomcat:tomcat:7.0.52 |
Affected Products
commons fileuploadapachetomcatapacheretail applicationsoracleResearch use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Apache Commons FileUpload and Apache Tomcat - Denial of Service
by Trustwave's SpiderLabs · Feb 12, 2014
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for commons-fileupload:commons-fileupload, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update commons-fileupload:commons-fileupload to 1.3.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2014-0050 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Cap what an attacker can consume: apply request size, rate and timeout limits in front of the affected component, and run it with memory and CPU limits so exhaustion degrades one worker rather than the whole service.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Fuse ESB Enterprise 7.1.0 | see advisory | RHSA-2014:0452 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | tomcat6-0:6.0.24-64.el6_5 | RHSA-2014:0429 |
| Red Hat JBoss A-MQ 6.1 | see advisory | RHSA-2014:0401 |
| Red Hat JBoss BPMS 6.0 | jbossweb | RHSA-2014:0373 |
| Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 6.2 | jbossweb | RHSA-2014:0252 |
| Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 6.2 for RHEL 5 | jbossweb-0:7.3.0-2.Final_redhat_2.1.ep6.el5 | RHSA-2014:0253 |
| Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Web Server 2 for RHEL 5 | tomcat6-0:6.0.37-19_patch_04.ep6.el5 | RHSA-2014:0525 |
| Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Web Server 2 for RHEL 5 | tomcat7-0:7.0.40-13_patch_02.ep6.el5 | RHSA-2014:0526 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2014-0050 in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.