Apache Tomcat has an Improper Authorization vulnerabilityGHSA-5v3h-fjv2-54fg
MEDIUMFix: apache/tomcat@3f6bd2bGHSA-5v3h-fjv2-54fg is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.5) CWE-285 vulnerability in org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core. A fix is available for org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core — see the affected versions and patch details below.
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-5v3h-fjv2-54fg.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
Real-World Exposure
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-core☕org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core☕org.apache.tomcat:tomcat☕org.apache.tomcat:tomcat☕org.apache.tomcat:tomcat+7 moreReal-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 Authorization vulnerability in Apache Tomcat leads to security constraints specified for the default servlet ignoring any method or method omission configured as part of the constraint.
This issue affects Apache Tomcat: from 11.0.0-M1 through 11.0.22, from 10.1.0-M1 through 10.1.55, from 9.0.0.M1 through 9.0.118, from 8.5.0 through 8.5.100, from 7.0.0 through 7.0.109. Other versions that have reached end of support may also be affected.
Users are recommended to upgrade to version 11.0.23, 10.1.56 or 9.0.119, which fix the issue.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core | ≥ 11.0.0-M1&&< 11.0.23 | 11.0.23org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core:11.0.23 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core | ≥ 10.1.0-M1&&< 10.1.56 | 10.1.56org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core:10.1.56 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core | ≥ 9.0.0.M1&&< 9.0.119 | 9.0.119org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core:9.0.119 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core | ≥ 8.5.0 | No fix |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core | all versions | No fix |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.tomcat:tomcat | ≥ 11.0.0-M1&&< 11.0.23 | 11.0.23org.apache.tomcat:tomcat:11.0.23 |
Affected Products
tomcatapacheDetection & 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, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core to 11.0.23 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-5v3h-fjv2-54fg is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Put an independent control in front of the weakness: restrict the affected endpoint or interface to trusted networks, require an additional authentication factor or proxy-level check, and invalidate existing sessions and credentials in case the flaw has already been used.
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.
A security flaw in Apache Tomcat allows an attacker to bypass specific HTTP method restrictions on the default servlet. Red Hat products utilizing affected Tomcat versions are vulnerable if they rely on these method-specific security constraints. This could potentially enable unauthorized access to restricted…
Review your application's web.xml file. Ensure security constraints explicitly deny unauthorized users by path, rather than relying strictly on filtering specific HTTP methods (like GET or POST).Source: Red Hat security advisory for GHSA-5v3h-fjv2-54fg (CC BY 4.0)
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | tomcat9-1:9.0.120-1.el10_2 | RHSA-2026:68651 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.0 Extended Update Support | tomcat9-1:9.0.120-1.el10_0 | RHSA-2026:67163 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | tomcat-1:9.0.120-1.el8_10 | RHSA-2026:68677 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8 Telecommunications Update Service | tomcat-1:9.0.120-1.el8_8 | RHSA-2026:68680 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | tomcat-1:9.0.120-2.el9_8 | RHSA-2026:68660 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2 Update Services for SAP Solutions | tomcat-1:9.0.120-1.el9_2 | RHSA-2026:68678 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.4 Update Services for SAP Solutions | tomcat-1:9.0.120-1.el9_4 | RHSA-2026:68679 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.6 Extended Update Support | tomcat-1:9.0.120-1.el9_6 | RHSA-2026:68659 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-5v3h-fjv2-54fg in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.