How severe is CVE-2016-0763?

CVE-2016-0763 has a CVSS score of 6.3/10, rated MEDIUM. Review your exposure and patch according to your risk tolerance.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2016-0763?

CVE-2016-0763 affects the following packages: org.apache.tomcat:tomcat (Maven), org.apache.tomcat:tomcat (Maven), org.apache.tomcat:tomcat (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2016-0763?

Update org.apache.tomcat:tomcat to 7.0.68 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2016-0763 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2016-0763 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-2016-0763 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

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.

Is CVE-2016-0763 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2016-0763 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-2016-0763?

CVE-2016-0763 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 11.3%, 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-2016-0763?

CVE-2016-0763 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-2016-0763 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2016-0763 was published on February 25, 2016 and was last updated on October 24, 2026. 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

MEDIUM severity

CVE-2016-0763 — tomcat

MEDIUMFix: apache/tomcat@76ebc90

CVE-2016-0763 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.3) CWE-264 vulnerability in org.apache.tomcat:tomcat. EPSS puts its 30-day exploitation probability at 11.3% (96th percentile). A fix is available for org.apache.tomcat:tomcat — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Improper Verification of Source of a Communication Channel in Apache Tomcat

Also known asGHSA-9hjv-9h75-xmpp

Published

Feb 25, 2016

Updated

Oct 24, 2026

Affected

3 pkgs

Patched

3 / 3

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Oct 31, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

No confirmed exploitation observed yet

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-2016-0763.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

11.3%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Moderate Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs96th percentile — riskier than 96% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Real-World Exposure

3 pkgs affected

☕org.apache.tomcat:tomcat☕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

The setGlobalContext method in org/apache/naming/factory/ResourceLinkFactory.java in Apache Tomcat 7.x before 7.0.68, 8.x before 8.0.31, and 9.x before 9.0.0.M3 does not consider whether ResourceLinkFactory.setGlobalContext callers are authorized, which allows remote authenticated users to bypass intended SecurityManager restrictions and read or write to arbitrary application data, or cause a denial of service (application disruption), via a web application that sets a crafted global context.

Affected Packages

3 total 3 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat`	≥ 7.0.0&&< 7.0.68	7.0.68`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat:7.0.68`
☕Maven	`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat`	≥ 8.0.0&&< 8.0.32	8.0.32`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat:8.0.32`
☕Maven	`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat`	≥ 9.0.0M1&&< 9.0.0.M3	9.0.0.M3`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat:9.0.0.M3`

Affected Products

3 products · 74 configurations

Application

tomcatapache

65 versions

7.0.07.0.27.0.47.0.57.0.67.0.107.0.117.0.127.0.147.0.167.0.197.0.20

ubuntu linuxcanonical

4 versions

12.0414.0415.1016.04

debian linuxdebian

2 versions

7.08.0

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 7.0.68 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2016-0763 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.

Red HatModerate

Product	Fixed in	Advisory
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7	`tomcat-0:7.0.69-10.el7`	RHSA-2016:2599
Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Web Server 2 for RHEL 6	`tomcat7-0:7.0.54-23_patch_05.ep6.el6`	RHSA-2016:2807
Red Hat JBoss Web Server 2.1	`tomcat7`	RHSA-2016:2808
Red Hat JBoss Web Server 3.0	see advisory	RHSA-2016:1089
Red Hat JBoss Web Server 3 for RHEL 6	`httpd24-0:2.4.6-61.ep7.el6`	RHSA-2016:1087
Red Hat JBoss Web Server 3 for RHEL 7	`httpd24-0:2.4.6-61.ep7.el7`	RHSA-2016:1088

UbuntuMEDIUM

USN-3024-1Ubuntu

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2016-0763 in your dependencies?

Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works