CVE-2019-12418
HIGHCVE-2019-12418 is a high-severity (CVSS 7) vulnerability in org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2019-12418 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Insufficiently Protected Credentials in Apache Tomcat
Real-World Exposure
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
When Apache Tomcat 9.0.0.M1 to 9.0.28, 8.5.0 to 8.5.47, 7.0.0 and 7.0.97 is configured with the JMX Remote Lifecycle Listener, a local attacker without access to the Tomcat process or configuration files is able to manipulate the RMI registry to perform a man-in-the-middle attack to capture user names and passwords used to access the JMX interface. The attacker can then use these credentials to access the JMX interface and gain complete control over the Tomcat instance.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core | all versions | 7.0.99 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core | ≥ 8.0.0&&< 8.5.49 | 8.5.49 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core | ≥ 9.0.0&&< 9.0.29 | 9.0.29 |
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.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 7.0.99 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2019-12418 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-2019-12418 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-2019-12418. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
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.
This flaw did not affect the versions of tomcat as shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, as they did not include JMX Remote Lifecycle Listener, which was introduced in a later version of the package. pki-servlet-engine has been obsoleted by Tomcat in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.9 and later. Therefore no additional…
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2019-12418 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2019-12418 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.