How severe is CVE-2017-12615?

CVE-2017-12615 has a CVSS score of 8.1/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2017-12615?

CVE-2017-12615 affects the following packages: org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2017-12615?

Update org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core to 7.0.79 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2017-12615 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2017-12615 in my Maven dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.

How do I mitigate CVE-2017-12615 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

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 does O3 Security protect against CVE-2017-12615?

O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2017-12615 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.

Is CVE-2017-12615 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 23 known exploit references for CVE-2017-12615, including 1 documented proof-of-concept exploit on Exploit-DB and 14 in-the-wild exploitations 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-2017-12615?

CVE-2017-12615 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 99.6%, 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-2017-12615 in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog?

Yes. CVE-2017-12615 (Apache Tomcat on Windows Remote Code Execution Vulnerability) was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2022-03-25. CISA required all US federal civilian agencies to remediate this vulnerability by 2022-04-15. The required action was: Apply updates per vendor instructions. This CVE has been used in known ransomware campaigns. Being listed in the KEV catalog is the strongest possible confirmation of active exploitation — treat this as a critical priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2017-12615?

CVE-2017-12615 is classified as Unrestricted File Upload (CWE-434). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

Is there exploit tooling available for CVE-2017-12615?

A Nuclei detection template exists for CVE-2017-12615, meaning automated scanners can fingerprint it. Public exploit tooling significantly increases real-world risk — prioritize patching and ensure detection coverage. Exploit tooling should only ever be used in isolated, authorized testing environments.

When was CVE-2017-12615 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2017-12615 was published on September 19, 2017 and was last updated on July 8, 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 2022-03-25 — agencies required to remediate by 2022-04-15 · Ransomware

☕ Maven

CVE-2017-12615

HIGH

When running Apache Tomcat on Windows with HTTP PUTs enabled it was possible to upload a JSP file to the server

Also known asGHSA-pjfr-qf3p-3q25

Published

Sep 19, 2017

Updated

Jul 8, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

23 known

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

99.6%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Very High Risk100th percentile0.00%

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

1 pkg affected

☕org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core

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

When running Apache Tomcat 7.0.0 to 7.0.79 on Windows with HTTP PUTs enabled (e.g. via setting the readonly initialisation parameter of the Default to false) it was possible to upload a JSP file to the server via a specially crafted request. This JSP could then be requested and any code it contained would be executed by the server.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core`	≥ 7.0.0&&< 7.0.79	7.0.79

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.

EDB-42953webappswindows

Apache Tomcat < 9.0.1 (Beta) / < 8.5.23 / < 8.0.47 / < 7.0.8 - JSP Upload Bypass / Remote Code Execution (1)

by xxlegend · Sep 20, 2017

Exploit-DB Source

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.embed:tomcat-embed-core. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core to 7.0.79 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2017-12615 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 pinpoints whether CVE-2017-12615 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.

Tailored to CVE-2017-12615. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2017-12615 in your dependencies?

O3 detects CVE-2017-12615 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works

CVSS Score

8.1/10

CVSS v3 base score

Vector breakdown

AV:Attack Vector

Network

AC:Attack Complexity

High

PR:Privileges Required

None

UI:User Interaction

None

S:Scope

Unchanged

C:Confidentiality

High

I:Integrity

High

A:Availability

High

Raw vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE Classification

CWE-434Unrestricted File Upload

Weaponization

Timeline

Disclosed

Sep 19, 2017

First exploit

Sep 20, 2017

Same day as disclosure — rapid exploitation

KEV added

Mar 25, 2022

Last updated

Jul 8, 2026

Identifiers

CVE-2017-12615

GHSA-pjfr-qf3p-3q25

Data from OSV.dev, enriched by O3 Security. Refreshed hourly.

CVE-2017-12615

EPSS Exploitation Probability

Blast Radius

Description

Affected Packages

Detection & mitigation playbook

Detect

Fix

Workarounds

How O3 protects you

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CVE-2017-12615 in your dependencies?