CVE-2018-11759 — Apache
HIGHCVE-2018-11759 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) Path Traversal vulnerability. 6 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. No vendor fix is recorded yet; mitigation options are listed below.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2018-11759 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). In the shaded patch-first corner (EPSS 50%+, CVSS 7.0+).
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 394,803 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the ≥ 90% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.
Description
The Apache Web Server (httpd) specific code that normalised the requested path before matching it to the URI-worker map in Apache Tomcat JK (mod_jk) Connector 1.2.0 to 1.2.44 did not handle some edge cases correctly. If only a sub-set of the URLs supported by Tomcat were exposed via httpd, then it was possible for a specially constructed request to expose application functionality through the reverse proxy that was not intended for clients accessing the application via the reverse proxy. It was also possible in some configurations for a specially constructed request to bypass the access controls configured in httpd. While there is some overlap between this issue and CVE-2018-1323, they are not identical.
Affected Products
tomcat jk connectorapachedebian linuxdebianjboss core servicesredhatResearch use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
VulnerabilityDetect
Identify every host running the affected component and compare the installed build against the fixed version below — for source-built or distro-packaged software the version string, not a lockfile, is the source of truth (`dpkg -l`, `rpm -q`, or the binary's own `--version`).
Remediation status
No fixed release is recorded for CVE-2018-11759 yet. Track the upstream advisory, and apply the exposure-reduction steps below in the meantime.
Mitigate without a patch
Resolve every user-supplied path to its canonical form and reject anything that escapes the intended directory, and run the component under an account that has no read or write access outside the directory it legitimately serves.
How to detect CVE-2018-11759
A community-maintained Nuclei template exists for this CVE. You can scan for it directly:
nuclei -id cve-2018-11759 -u https://target- Template
- Apache Tomcat JK Connect <=1.2.44 - Manager Access
- Severity
- high
- Impact
- Unauthenticated attackers can gain unauthorized access to the Apache Tomcat Manager interface, potentially leading to further compromise of the server.
- Remediation
- Upgrade to a patched version of Apache Tomcat JK Connect (1.2.45 or higher) or apply the recommended security patches.
Template by ProjectDiscovery nuclei-templates (harshbothra_), MIT licensed. View the full template. Scan only systems you are authorised to test.
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.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| JBoss Core Services on RHEL 6 | jbcs-httpd24-0:1-6.jbcs.el6 | RHSA-2019:0367 |
| Red Hat JBoss Core Services | see advisory | RHSA-2019:0366 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2018-11759 in your dependencies?
Find it across , including transitive dependencies.