Insufficiently Protected Credentials in Apache Tomcat
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 software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core | < 7.0.99, >= 8.0.0, < 8.5.49, >= 9.0.0, < 9.0.29 | 7.0.99, 8.5.49, 9.0.29 |
References
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-12418
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2020.html
- https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4680
- https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4596
- https://usn.ubuntu.com/4251-1
- https://support.f5.com/csp/article/K10107360?utm_source=f5support&utm_medium=RSS
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200107-0001
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202003-43
- https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Dec/43
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/03/msg00029.html
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/01/msg00024.html
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/raba0fabaf4d56d4325ab2aca8814f0b30a237ab83d8106b115ee279a@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r9136ff5b13e4f1941360b5a309efee2c114a14855578c3a2cbe5d19c@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r6ccee4e849bc77df0840c7f853f6bd09d426f6741247da2b7429d5d9@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r48c1444845fe15a823e1374674bfc297d5008a5453788099ea14caf0@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r3bbb800a816d0a51eccc5a228c58736960a9fffafa581a225834d97d@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/43530b91506e2e0c11cfbe691173f5df8c48f51b98262426d7493b67%40%3Cannounce.tomcat.apache.org%3E
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-01/msg00013.html
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-522- Platform
- Java / Kotlin (Maven)
- Package
org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core- Disclosed
- 26.12.2019
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 12:22
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-hh3j-x4mc-g48r - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Java / Kotlin (Maven)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 77
- First → latest
- 10.2018 08.2026
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 5
Severity breakdown
- Critical 11
- High 36
- Medium 25
- Low 5
Disclosures per year
- 2018: 8
- 2019: 5
- 2020: 5
- 2021: 3
- 2022: 7
- 2023: 9
- 2024: 7
- 2025: 15
- 2026: 18
-
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