CVE-2017-5648
CRITICALCVE-2017-5648 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.1) CWE-668 vulnerability in org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2017-5648 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere in Apache Tomcat
Blast Radius
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina☕org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina☕org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina☕org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina☕org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core☕org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core☕org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core☕org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-coreReal-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
While investigating bug 60718, it was noticed that some calls to application listeners in Apache Tomcat 9.0.0.M1 to 9.0.0.M17, 8.5.0 to 8.5.11, 8.0.0.RC1 to 8.0.41, and 7.0.0 to 7.0.75 did not use the appropriate facade object. When running an untrusted application under a SecurityManager, it was therefore possible for that untrusted application to retain a reference to the request or response object and thereby access and/or modify information associated with another web application.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina | ≥ 9.0.0.M1&&< 9.0.0.M18 | 9.0.0.M18 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina | ≥ 8.5.0&&< 8.5.13 | 8.5.13 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina | ≥ 8.0.0&&< 8.0.42 | 8.0.42 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina | ≥ 7.0.0&&< 7.0.76 | 7.0.76 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core | ≥ 9.0.0.M1&&< 9.0.0.M18 | 9.0.0.M18 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core | ≥ 8.5.0&&< 8.5.13 | 8.5.13 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina. 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:tomcat-catalina to 9.0.0.M18 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2017-5648 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-2017-5648 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-2017-5648. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2017-5648 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2017-5648 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.