CVE-2023-42795 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting Apache Tomcat. This vulnerability allows information to leak from one request or response to another due to incomplete cleanup during the recycling of internal objects. The affected versions include Apache Tomcat 11.0.0-M1 through 11.0.0-M11, 10.1.0-M1 through 10.1.13, 9.0.0-M1 through 9.0.80, and 8.5.0 through 8.5.93.
The CVSS score for this vulnerability is 5.3, indicating medium severity. This score reflects the potential impact on confidentiality, as attackers may leverage this vulnerability to gain access to sensitive information. Organizations using affected versions should prioritize remediation.
Users are recommended to upgrade to Apache Tomcat versions 11.0.0-M12 and above, 10.1.14 and above, 9.0.81 and above, or 8.5.94 and above, which contain fixes for this issue. Organizations should prioritize patching immediately.
This vulnerability can allow unauthorized access to sensitive data, making it essential for organizations managing Apache Tomcat to schedule remediation and monitor for any unusual activity related to this vulnerability.
Vulnerability Details
The incomplete cleanup vulnerability in Apache Tomcat arises from an error that causes Tomcat to skip certain parts of the recycling process for internal objects. This leads to potential information leakage between requests and responses, which could expose sensitive data.
The vulnerability is classified as CWE-459, which pertains to incomplete cleanup. This issue primarily affects network-based attackers, as indicated by its CVSS vector, which specifies a low attack complexity and no required privileges or user interaction.
As this vulnerability could potentially expose sensitive information, it is critical for organizations running vulnerable versions of Apache Tomcat to take immediate action to protect their systems.
Technical Analysis
The root cause of CVE-2023-42795 stems from how Apache Tomcat recycles internal objects during processing. When various internal objects are recycled, the incomplete cleanup process may result in some data being retained from previous requests, leading to a possible information leak.
Attackers exploiting this vulnerability would typically need to be on the same network to initiate an attack, as the attack vector is network-based. The attack complexity is low, meaning that it does not require extensive resources or skills to exploit.
In terms of impacts, the vulnerability affects confidentiality with a low impact score, while integrity and availability impacts are not applicable. This means that while sensitive data can be exposed, there is no direct risk to the integrity or availability of the application.
Risk & Impact Analysis
Risk to organizations includes potential exposure of sensitive data, which can lead to privacy violations and regulatory repercussions. The blast radius of this vulnerability can affect multiple users if exploited, as the leakage may contain data from various sessions.
Given the medium severity of this vulnerability, organizations should address it in their priority patch cycle. Monitoring for any signs of exploitation is also recommended, as attackers may attempt to leverage this weakness.
The urgency of remediation is underscored by the fact that older and end-of-life versions of Apache Tomcat may also be affected, potentially widening the scope of the risk.
Exploitation Status
Signal | Status |
|---|---|
Known Exploit | No |
Public PoC | No |
Actively Exploited | No |
Ransomware Use | No |
Affected Versions
The affected versions of Apache Tomcat include 8.5.0 to 8.5.93, 9.0.0-M1 to 9.0.80, 10.1.0-M1 to 10.1.13, and 11.0.0-M1 to 11.0.0-M11. Users should upgrade to version 11.0.0-M12 or later, 10.1.14 or later, 9.0.81 or later, or 8.5.94 or later.
Mitigation & Remediation
Organizations must implement the following remediation steps to mitigate this vulnerability:
1. Upgrade to Apache Tomcat version 11.0.0-M12 or later, 10.1.14 or later, 9.0.81 or later, or 8.5.94 or later.
2. Regularly review and monitor logs for unusual activity related to request handling.
3. Implement network controls to limit access to the Tomcat server from untrusted sources.
For further assistance or in-depth assessments, organizations can consider our penetration testing services.
Detection Guidance
Organizations should monitor for log indicators that may indicate exploitation attempts, including abnormal request patterns that involve sensitive data handling.
Behavioral anomalies, such as unexpected response contents from the server, should also be flagged for further investigation.
AppSecure Threat Intelligence Insight
The long-term significance of CVE-2023-42795 lies in its reflection of ongoing challenges in software cleanup processes in web applications. This vulnerability highlights the importance of thorough testing and validation of object recycling mechanisms.
Security teams can learn from this incident by emphasizing the need for comprehensive security assessments.
For further reading on best practices, organizations can refer to our penetration testing methodology and strategies for enhancing application security.
Investing in robust security measures will ultimately reduce the likelihood of similar vulnerabilities emerging in the future.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
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