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Tomcat CVE-2019-0232

HIGH
OS Command Injection (CWE-78)
2019-04-15 security@apache.org
8.1
CVSS 3.0 · NVD
View

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization OS command sanitization, avoid shell exec
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 1 tactic: Execution

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Impact

CVSS score of 8.1 (HIGH). Attack characteristics: network attack vector, high complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction not required. Public proof-of-concept exploit code is available.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A remote attacker could execute arbitrary operating system commands on the host by sending crafted requests to the affected application. No authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Why: HIGH severity + EPSS > 10%.
Patch available 99.7% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAI

When running on Windows with enableCmdLineArguments enabled, the CGI Servlet in Apache Tomcat 9.0.0.M1 to 9.0.17, 8.5.0 to 8.5.39 and 7.0.0 to 7.0.93 is vulnerable to Remote Code Execution due to a. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.

RemediationAI

No vendor patch is available at time of analysis. Monitor vendor advisories for updates. Avoid passing user input to shell commands. Use language-specific APIs instead of shell execution. Apply strict input validation with allowlists.

Affected Packages

maven org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core fix: 7.0.94, 8.5.40, 9.0.17

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in maven

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

This vulnerability is classified as OS Command Injection (CWE-78), which allows attackers to execute arbitrary operating system commands on the host. When running on Windows with enableCmdLineArguments enabled, the CGI Servlet in Apache Tomcat 9.0.0.M1 to 9.0.17, 8.5.0 to 8.5.39 and 7.0.0 to 7.0.93 is vulnerable to Remote Code Execution due to a bug in the way the JRE passes command line arguments to Windows. The CGI Servlet is disabled by default. The CGI option enableCmdLineArguments is disable by default in Tomcat 9.0.x (and will be disabled by default in all versions in response to this vulnerability). For a detailed explanation of the JRE behaviour, see Markus Wulftange's blog (https://codewhitesec.blogspot.com/2016/02/java-and-command-line-injections-in-windows.html) and this archived MSDN blog (https://web.archive.org/web/20161228144344/https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/twistylittlepassagesallalike/2011/04/23/everyone-quotes-command-line-arguments-the-wrong-way/). Affected products include: Apache Tomcat.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 8.1 HIGH
AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

DescriptionNVD

When running on Windows with enableCmdLineArguments enabled, the CGI Servlet in Apache Tomcat 9.0.0.M1 to 9.0.17, 8.5.0 to 8.5.39 and 7.0.0 to 7.0.93 is vulnerable to Remote Code Execution due to a bug in the way the JRE passes command line arguments to Windows. The CGI Servlet is disabled by default. The CGI option enableCmdLineArguments is disable by default in Tomcat 9.0.x (and will be disabled by default in all versions in response to this vulnerability). For a detailed explanation of the JRE behaviour, see Markus Wulftange's blog (https://codewhitesec.blogspot.com/2016/02/java-and-command-line-injections-in-windows.html) and this archived MSDN blog (https://web.archive.org/web/20161228144344/https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/twistylittlepassagesallalike/2011/04/23/everyone-quotes-command-line-arguments-the-wrong-way/).

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
99.7%
Top 0% exploitable
Exploit
POC
Public exploit code exists
Data Quality
4 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC Yes
EPSS 99.7%
Patch available Yes
Active threat Yes
Deciding rule
HIGH severity + EPSS > 10%
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Out-of-Cycle
Exploitation· derived
Active
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact· derived
High

Priority Score

175
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: +100
CVSS: +40
PoC: +20
Weaponized: +15
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

OS command injection occurs when an application passes unsanitized user input directly into system shell commands.

Remote Code Execution represents the critical moment when an attacker successfully runs arbitrary code on a target system without physical access.

Affected Products (CPE)NVD

cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:9.0.0:milestone1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:9.0.0:milestone10:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:9.0.0:milestone11:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:9.0.0:milestone12:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:9.0.0:milestone13:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:9.0.0:milestone14:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:9.0.0:milestone15:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:9.0.0:milestone16:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:9.0.0:milestone17:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:9.0.0:milestone18:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:9.0.0:milestone19:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:9.0.0:milestone2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:9.0.0:milestone20:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:9.0.0:milestone21:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:9.0.0:milestone22:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:9.0.0:milestone23:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:9.0.0:milestone24:*:*:*:*:*:*
+ 9 more

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References

Advisories & patches
REF http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/153506/Apache-Tomcat-CGIServlet-enableCmdLineArguments-Remote-Code-Execution.html REF http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2019/May/4 REF http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/107906 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:1712 REF https://blog.trendmicro.com/trendlabs-security-intelligence/uncovering-cve-2019-0232-a-remote-code-execution-vulnerability-in-apache-tomcat/ REF https://codewhitesec.blogspot.com/2016/02/java-and-command-line-injections-in-windows.html REF https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/1dd0a59c1295cc08ce4c9e7edae5ad2268acc9ba55adcefa0532e5ba%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E REF https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/3d19773b4cf0377db62d1e9328bf9160bf1819f04f988315086931d7%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E REF https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/52ffb9fbf661245386a83a661183d13f1de2e5779fa23837a08e02ac%40%3Ccommits.ofbiz.apache.org%3E REF https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/5f297a4b9080b5f65a05bc139596d0e437d6a539b25e31d29d028767%40%3Cannounce.tomcat.apache.org%3E REF https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/673b6148d92cd7bc99ea2dcf85ad75d57da44fc322d51f37fb529a2a%40%3Ccommits.ofbiz.apache.org%3E REF https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/6af47120905aa7d8fe12f42e8ff2284fb338ba141d3b77b8c7cb61b3%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E REF https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/96849486813a95dfd542e1618b7923ca945508aaf4a4341f674d83e3%40%3Cnotifications.ofbiz.apache.org%3E REF https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/a6c87a09a71162fd563ab1c4e70a08a103e0b7c199fc391f1c9c4c35%40%3Ccommits.ofbiz.apache.org%3E REF https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/dd4b325cdb261183dbf5ce913c102920a8f09c26dae666a98309165b%40%3Cnotifications.ofbiz.apache.org%3E REF https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/f4d48b32ef2b6aa49c8830241a9475da5b46e451f964b291c7a0a715%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E REF https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r3bbb800a816d0a51eccc5a228c58736960a9fffafa581a225834d97d%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E REF https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r48c1444845fe15a823e1374674bfc297d5008a5453788099ea14caf0%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E REF https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r6ccee4e849bc77df0840c7f853f6bd09d426f6741247da2b7429d5d9%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E REF https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r6d03e45b81eab03580cf7f8bb51cb3e9a1b10a2cc0c6a2d3cc92ed0c%40%3Cannounce.apache.org%3E REF https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r9136ff5b13e4f1941360b5a309efee2c114a14855578c3a2cbe5d19c%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E REF https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/raba0fabaf4d56d4325ab2aca8814f0b30a237ab83d8106b115ee279a%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E REF https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20190419-0001/ REF https://web.archive.org/web/20161228144344/https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/twistylittlepassagesallalike/2011/04/23/everyone-quotes-command-line-arguments-the-wrong-way/ REF https://www.broadcom.com/support/fibre-channel-networking/security-advisories/brocade-security-advisory-2019-784 REF https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuApr2021.html REF https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2020.html REF https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2020.html REF https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpujul2019-5072835.html REF https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpuoct2019-5072832.html REF https://www.synology.com/security/advisory/Synology_SA_19_17 REF https://wwws.nightwatchcybersecurity.com/2019/04/30/remote-code-execution-rce-in-cgi-servlet-apache-tomcat-on-windows-cve-2019-0232/

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