GHSA-3p2h-wqq4-wf4h — tomcat-coyote
Fix: apache/tomcat@1eef1dcGHSA-3p2h-wqq4-wf4h is a CWE-459 vulnerability in org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-coyote. 2 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-coyote — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Apache Tomcat Denial of Service via invalid HTTP priority header
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-3p2h-wqq4-wf4h.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
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.
Real-World Exposure
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-coyote☕org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-coyote☕org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-coyote☕org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core☕org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core☕org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core☕org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-coyote☕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
Improper Input Validation vulnerability in Apache Tomcat. Incorrect error handling for some invalid HTTP priority headers resulted in incomplete clean-up of the failed request which created a memory leak. A large number of such requests could trigger an OutOfMemoryException resulting in a denial of service.
This issue affects Apache Tomcat: from 9.0.76 through 9.0.102, from 10.1.10 through 10.1.39, from 11.0.0-M2 through 11.0.5. The following versions were EOL at the time the CVE was created but are known to be affected: 8.5.90 though 8.5.100.
Users are recommended to upgrade to version 9.0.104, 10.1.40 or 11.0.6 which fix the issue.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-coyote | ≥ 9.0.76&&< 9.0.104 | 9.0.104org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-coyote:9.0.104 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-coyote | ≥ 10.1.10&&< 10.1.40 | 10.1.40org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-coyote:10.1.40 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-coyote | ≥ 11.0.0-M2&&< 11.0.6 | 11.0.6org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-coyote:11.0.6 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core | ≥ 9.0.76&&< 9.0.104 | 9.0.104org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core:9.0.104 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core | ≥ 10.1.10&&< 10.1.40 | 10.1.40org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core:10.1.40 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core | ≥ 11.0.0-M2&&< 11.0.6 | 11.0.6org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core:11.0.6 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Apache Tomcat 10.1.39 - Denial of Service (DoS)
by Abdualhadi khalifa · Jun 5, 2025
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-coyote, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-coyote to 9.0.104 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-3p2h-wqq4-wf4h 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 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like GHSA-3p2h-wqq4-wf4h can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-3p2h-wqq4-wf4h. 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 is marked as Important vulnerability rather than a Moderate flaw because it introduces a reliable, unauthenticated denial-of-service (DoS) vector that exploits the core request-handling mechanism in Apache Tomcat. Specifically, the improper handling of invalid HTTP/2 Priority headers results in incomplete memory…
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | tomcat9-1:9.0.87-5.el10_0.1 | RHSA-2025:11332 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | tomcat-1:9.0.87-1.el8_10.4 | RHSA-2025:11333 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8 Telecommunications Update Service | tomcat-1:9.0.87-1.el8_8.5 | RHSA-2025:11382 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | tomcat-1:9.0.87-3.el9_6.1 | RHSA-2025:11335 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2 Update Services for SAP Solutions | tomcat-1:9.0.87-1.el9_2.4 | RHSA-2025:11381 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.4 Extended Update Support | tomcat-1:9.0.87-1.el9_4.4 | RHSA-2025:11334 |
| Red Hat JBoss Web Server 5 | tomcat | RHSA-2025:4522 |
| Red Hat JBoss Web Server 5.8 on RHEL 7 | jws5-tomcat-0:9.0.87-11.redhat_00010.1.el7jws | RHSA-2025:4521 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-3p2h-wqq4-wf4h in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-3p2h-wqq4-wf4h across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.