CVE-2015-3158 — picketlink-tomcat-common
Fix: picketlink/picketlink-bindings#124CVE-2015-3158 is a CWE-264 vulnerability in org.picketlink:picketlink-tomcat-common. A fix is available for org.picketlink:picketlink-tomcat-common — see the affected versions and patch details below.
PicketLink does not properly check role based authorization
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.picketlink:picketlink-tomcat-commonReal-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
The invokeNextValve function in identity/federation/bindings/tomcat/idp/AbstractIDPValve.java in PicketLink before 2.7.1.Final does not properly check role based authorization, which allows remote authenticated users to gain access to restricted application resources via a (1) direct request or (2) request through an SP initiated flow.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.picketlink:picketlink-tomcat-common | all versions | 2.7.1.Finalorg.picketlink:picketlink-tomcat-common:2.7.1.Final |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.picketlink:picketlink-tomcat-common, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.picketlink:picketlink-tomcat-common to 2.7.1.Final or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2015-3158 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-2015-3158 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2015-3158. 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 JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 6.4 | picketlink | RHSA-2015:1672 |
| Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 6.4 for RHEL 5 | glassfish-jsf-eap6-0:2.1.28-9.redhat_10.1.ep6.el5 | RHSA-2015:1669 |
| Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 6.4 for RHEL 6 | glassfish-jsf-eap6-0:2.1.28-9.redhat_10.1.ep6.el6 | RHSA-2015:1670 |
| Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 6.4 for RHEL 6 | jboss-ec2-eap-0:7.5.3-1.Final_redhat_2.ep6.el6 | RHSA-2015:1673 |
| Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 6.4 for RHEL 7 | glassfish-jsf-eap6-0:2.1.28-9.redhat_10.1.ep6.el7 | RHSA-2015:1671 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2015-3158 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2015-3158 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.