How severe is CVE-2016-8735?

CVE-2016-8735 has a CVSS score of 9.8/10, rated CRITICAL. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2016-8735?

CVE-2016-8735 affects the following packages: org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina-jmx-remote (Maven), org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina-jmx-remote (Maven), org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina-jmx-remote (Maven), org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina-jmx-remote (Maven), org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina-jmx-remote (Maven), org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina (Maven), org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina (Maven), org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina (Maven), and 2 more. Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2016-8735?

Update org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina-jmx-remote to version 6.0.48 or later. Run your dependency manager's update command and verify no transitive dependencies pin the vulnerable version. Use O3 Security's SCA scanner to confirm the fix is applied across your entire dependency tree.

Is CVE-2016-8735 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 1 known exploit references for CVE-2016-8735, including 1 in-the-wild exploitation observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2016-8735?

CVE-2016-8735 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 93.8%, placing it in the 100th 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. A score above 50% indicates significantly elevated exploitation risk — immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Is CVE-2016-8735 in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog?

Yes. CVE-2016-8735 (Apache Tomcat Remote Code Execution Vulnerability) was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2023-05-12. CISA required all US federal civilian agencies to remediate this vulnerability by 2023-06-02. The required action was: Apply updates per vendor instructions. Being listed in the KEV catalog is the strongest possible confirmation of active exploitation — treat this as a critical priority.

When was CVE-2016-8735 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2016-8735 was published on April 6, 2017 and was last updated on April 16, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

CISA KEV·Added 2023-05-12 — agencies required to remediate by 2023-06-02

☕ Maven

CVE-2016-8735

CRITICAL

Apache Tomcat Improper Access Control vulnerability

Also known asGHSA-cw54-59pw-4g8c

Published

Apr 6, 2017

Updated

Apr 16, 2026

Affected

10 pkgs

Patched

10 / 10

Exploits

1 known

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

93.8%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Very High Risk100th percentile-0.01%

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.

Blast Radius

10 pkgs affected

☕org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina-jmx-remote☕org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina-jmx-remote☕org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina-jmx-remote☕org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina-jmx-remote☕org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina-jmx-remote☕org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina☕org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina☕org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina+2 more

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

Remote code execution is possible with Apache Tomcat before 6.0.48, 7.x before 7.0.73, 8.x before 8.0.39, 8.5.x before 8.5.7, and 9.x before 9.0.0.M12 if JmxRemoteLifecycleListener is used and an attacker can reach JMX ports. The issue exists because this listener wasn't updated for consistency with the CVE-2016-3427 Oracle patch that affected credential types.

Affected Packages

10 total 10 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina-jmx-remote`	all versions	6.0.48
☕Maven	`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina-jmx-remote`	≥ 7.0.0&&< 7.0.73	7.0.73
☕Maven	`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina-jmx-remote`	≥ 8.0.0&&< 8.0.39	8.0.39
☕Maven	`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina-jmx-remote`	≥ 8.5.0&&< 8.5.7	8.5.7
☕Maven	`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina-jmx-remote`	≥ 9.0.0.M1&&< 9.0.0.M12	9.0.0.M12
☕Maven	`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina`	all versions	6.0.48

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

Remote code execution is possible with Apache Tomcat before 6.0.48, 7.x …

cisa.govCISAMay 2023

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2016-8735 in your stack?

O3 detects CVE-2016-8735 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.

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