CVE-2016-5018 — Vulnerability in...
CRITICAL
Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel in Apache Tomcat
Published May 13, 2022Updated April 18, 2024Source: osv
Summary
In Apache Tomcat 9.0.0.M1 to 9.0.0.M9, 8.5.0 to 8.5.4, 8.0.0.RC1 to 8.0.36, 7.0.0 to 7.0.70 and 6.0.0 to 6.0.45 a malicious web application was able to bypass a configured SecurityManager via a Tomcat utility method that was accessible to web applications.
Advisory Timeline
- First published May 13, 2022 (1613 days ago).
- Last revised April 18, 2024 — 707 days after initial publication.
Remediation
Upgrade to the fixed version using your package manager.
Maven
Update org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-jasper to 6.0.47 or later<!-- Update pom.xml dependency version to 6.0.47 for org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-jasper -->
Maven
Update org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-jasper to 8.5.5 or later<!-- Update pom.xml dependency version to 8.5.5 for org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-jasper -->
Maven
Update org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-jasper to 9.0.0.M10 or later<!-- Update pom.xml dependency version to 9.0.0.M10 for org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-jasper -->
Maven
Update org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-jasper to 8.0.37 or later<!-- Update pom.xml dependency version to 8.0.37 for org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-jasper -->
Maven
Update org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-jasper to 7.0.72 or later<!-- Update pom.xml dependency version to 7.0.72 for org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-jasper -->
Maven
Update org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-jasper to 9.0.0.M10 or later<!-- Update pom.xml dependency version to 9.0.0.M10 for org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-jasper -->
Maven
Update org.apache.tomcat:jasper to 6.0.47 or later<!-- Update pom.xml dependency version to 6.0.47 for org.apache.tomcat:jasper -->
Maven
Update org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-jasper to 8.0.37 or later<!-- Update pom.xml dependency version to 8.0.37 for org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-jasper -->
Maven
Update org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-jasper to 7.0.72 or later<!-- Update pom.xml dependency version to 7.0.72 for org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-jasper -->
Maven
Update org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-jasper to 8.5.5 or later<!-- Update pom.xml dependency version to 8.5.5 for org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-jasper -->
After upgrading, run your dependency scanner again to confirm the vulnerability is resolved.
Affected Packages (10)
Affects 1 ecosystem: maven (3).
| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed In |
|---|---|---|---|
| org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-jasper | maven | All versions | 6.0.47 |
| org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-jasper | maven | 8.5.0, 8.5.2, 8.5.3, 8.5.4 | 8.5.5 |
| org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-jasper | maven | 9.0.0.M1, 9.0.0.M3, 9.0.0.M4, 9.0.0.M6 (+2 more) | 9.0.0.M10 |
| org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-jasper | maven | 8.0.0-RC1, 8.0.0-RC10, 8.0.0-RC3, 8.0.0-RC5 (+25 more) | 8.0.37 |
| org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-jasper | maven | 7.0.0, 7.0.11, 7.0.12, 7.0.14 (+44 more) | 7.0.72 |
| org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-jasper | maven | 9.0.0.M1, 9.0.0.M3, 9.0.0.M4, 9.0.0.M6 (+2 more) | 9.0.0.M10 |
| org.apache.tomcat:jasper | maven | 6.0.13, 6.0.14, 6.0.16, 6.0.18 (+16 more) | 6.0.47 |
| org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-jasper | maven | 8.0.0-RC1, 8.0.0-RC10, 8.0.0-RC3, 8.0.0-RC5 (+25 more) | 8.0.37 |
| org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-jasper | maven | 7.0.0, 7.0.11, 7.0.12, 7.0.14 (+44 more) | 7.0.72 |
| org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-jasper | maven | 8.5.0, 8.5.2, 8.5.3, 8.5.4 | 8.5.5 |
Vulnerability Classification
Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) identifiers for this vulnerability type.
- CWE-288
CVSS Score Breakdown
What the CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) 9.1 score means for each attack dimension.
Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
References
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-5018ADVISORY
- https://github.com/apache/tomcat/commit/648122fef84d3b43223e0b5ae668f84719dada0aWEB
- https://github.com/apache/tomcat/commit/890a2f681ed2f3461b27983d7da9737375ff2ae4WEB
- https://github.com/apache/tomcat/commit/a6b1ebc246b91b854237e5aad3dfd2b5460ea282WEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/9b3a63a20c87179815fdea14f6766853bafe79a0042dc0b4aa878a9e%40%3Cannounce.tomcat.apache.org%3EWEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/9b3a63a20c87179815fdea14f6766853bafe79a0042dc0b4aa878a9e@%3Cannounce.tomcat.apache.org%3EWEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/b5e3f51d28cd5d9b1809f56594f2cf63dcd6a90429e16ea9f83bbedc%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3EWEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/b5e3f51d28cd5d9b1809f56594f2cf63dcd6a90429e16ea9f83bbedc@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3EWEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/b84ad1258a89de5c9c853c7f2d3ad77e5b8b2930be9e132d5cef6b95%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3EWEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/b84ad1258a89de5c9c853c7f2d3ad77e5b8b2930be9e132d5cef6b95@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3EWEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/b8a1bf18155b552dcf9a928ba808cbadad84c236d85eab3033662cfb%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3EWEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/b8a1bf18155b552dcf9a928ba808cbadad84c236d85eab3033662cfb@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3EWEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r03c597a64de790ba42c167efacfa23300c3d6c9fe589ab87fe02859c%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3EWEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r03c597a64de790ba42c167efacfa23300c3d6c9fe589ab87fe02859c@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3EWEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r587e50b86c1a96ee301f751d50294072d142fd6dc08a8987ae9f3a9b%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3EWEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r587e50b86c1a96ee301f751d50294072d142fd6dc08a8987ae9f3a9b@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3EWEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r9136ff5b13e4f1941360b5a309efee2c114a14855578c3a2cbe5d19c%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3EWEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r9136ff5b13e4f1941360b5a309efee2c114a14855578c3a2cbe5d19c@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3EWEB
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20180605-0001WEB
- https://usn.ubuntu.com/4557-1WEB
- https://web.archive.org/web/20161125134649/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/93942WEB
- https://web.archive.org/web/20170908024318/http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037142WEB
- https://web.archive.org/web/20171012232225/http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1038757WEB
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2021.htmlWEB
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:0455WEB
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:0456WEB
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:1548WEB
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:1549WEB
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:1550WEB
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:1552WEB
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:2247WEB
- https://github.com/apache/tomcatPACKAGE
- https://github.com/search?q=repo%3Aapache%2Ftomcat+jasper.runtime+path%3A%2F%5Eres%5C%2Fbnd%5C%2F%2F&type=codeWEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/343558d982879bf88ec20dbf707f8c11255f8e219e81d45c4f8d0551%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3EWEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/343558d982879bf88ec20dbf707f8c11255f8e219e81d45c4f8d0551@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3EWEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/37220405a377c0182d2afdbc36461c4783b2930fbeae3a17f1333113%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3EWEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/37220405a377c0182d2afdbc36461c4783b2930fbeae3a17f1333113@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3EWEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/388a323769f1dff84c9ec905455aa73fbcb20338e3c7eb131457f708%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3EWEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/388a323769f1dff84c9ec905455aa73fbcb20338e3c7eb131457f708@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3EWEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/39ae1f0bd5867c15755a6f959b271ade1aea04ccdc3b2e639dcd903b%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3EWEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/39ae1f0bd5867c15755a6f959b271ade1aea04ccdc3b2e639dcd903b@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3EWEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/3d19773b4cf0377db62d1e9328bf9160bf1819f04f988315086931d7%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3EWEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/3d19773b4cf0377db62d1e9328bf9160bf1819f04f988315086931d7@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3EWEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/845312a10aabbe2c499fca94003881d2c79fc993d85f34c1f5c77424%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3EWEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/845312a10aabbe2c499fca94003881d2c79fc993d85f34c1f5c77424@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3EWEB
- https://packetstormsecurity.com/files/155873/Tomcat-9.0.0.M1-Sandbox-Escape.htmlWEB
- https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017-0457.htmlWEB
- https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017-1551.htmlWEB
- https://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3720WEB
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2016-5018?
- Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel in Apache Tomcat This vulnerability has been assigned a severity rating of CRITICAL (CVSS score: 9.1/10).
- How do I check if my project is affected by CVE-2016-5018?
- CVE-2016-5018 affects org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-jasper, org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-jasper and org.apache.tomcat:jasper. Use GeekWala's free vulnerability scanner to check your dependencies against CVE-2016-5018 and 200,000+ other known vulnerabilities.
Severity & Exploitability
CVSS Score
9.1
Exploitation is straightforward and causes maximum impact. Patch immediately.
Also Known As
GHSA-4v3g-g84w-hv7r
Related CVEs
- CVE-2026-43515CRITICAL
Apache Tomcat - Security constraints not correctly applied
- CVE-2026-65905CRITICAL
Apache Tomcat's DIGEST authenticator has an Authentication Bypass by Capture-replay vulnerability
- CVE-2026-65182CRITICAL
Apache Tomcat has an Improper Access Control, Incorrect Authorization vulnerability
- CVE-2026-43513HIGH
Apache Tomcat: LockOutRealm treats user names as case-sensitive
- CVE-2026-29129HIGH
Apache Tomcat: Configured cipher preference order not preserved
- CVE-2026-42498HIGH
Apache Tomcat - WebSocket authentication header exposure
- CVE-2026-41284HIGH
Apache Tomcat: Unbounded read in WebDAV LOCK and PROPFIND handling
- CVE-2025-66614MEDIUM
Apache Tomcat - Client certificate verification bypass
Check if you're affected
Scan your dependencies to see if this vulnerability affects your projects.
Scan Your Dependencies