How severe is CVE-2017-12616?

CVE-2017-12616 has a CVSS score of 7.5/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2017-12616?

CVE-2017-12616 affects the following packages: org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2017-12616?

Update org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina to version 7.0.81 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-2017-12616 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2017-12616 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-2017-12616?

CVE-2017-12616 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 90.6%, 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.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2017-12616?

CVE-2017-12616 is classified as Information Exposure (CWE-200). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

When was CVE-2017-12616 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2017-12616 was published on September 19, 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.

☕ Maven

CVE-2017-12616

HIGH

Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor in Apache Tomcat

Also known asGHSA-8qq4-8jvq-mfw4

Published

Sep 19, 2017

Updated

Apr 16, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

None indexed

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

90.6%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:tomcat-catalina

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 using a VirtualDirContext with Apache Tomcat 7.0.0 to 7.0.80 it was possible to bypass security constraints and/or view the source code of JSPs for resources served by the VirtualDirContext using a specially crafted request.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina`	≥ 7.0.0&&< 7.0.81	7.0.81

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2017-12616 in your stack?

O3 detects CVE-2017-12616 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 stack How O3 SCA works

CVSS Score

7.5/10

CVSS v3 base score

Vector breakdown

AV:Attack Vector

Network

AC:Attack Complexity

Low

PR:Privileges Required

None

UI:User Interaction