Every CVE Search/ Get API key

CVE-2017-15706

Inconsistent documentation in Apache Tomcat

5.3 MediumFix available

As part of the fix for bug 61201, the documentation for Apache Tomcat 9.0.0.M22 to 9.0.1, 8.5.16 to 8.5.23, 8.0.45 to 8.0.47 and 7.0.79 to 7.0.82 included an updated description of the search algorithm used by the CGI Servlet to identify which script to execute. The update was not correct. As a result, some scripts may have failed to execute as expected and other scripts may have been executed unexpectedly. Note that the behaviour of the CGI servlet has remained unchanged in this regard. It is only the documentation of the behaviour that was wrong and has been corrected.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges needed
None
User interaction
None

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

Exploit likelihood

6.08%Down 5.7 points since Apr 14, 2021
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

NVD Score used 5.3

As part of the fix for bug 61201, the documentation for Apache Tomcat 9.0.0.M22 to 9.0.1, 8.5.16 to 8.5.23, 8.0.45 to 8.0.47 and 7.0.79 to 7.0.82 included an updated description of the search algorithm used by the CGI Servlet to identify which script to execute. The update was not correct. As a result, some scripts may have failed to execute as expected and other scripts may have been executed unexpectedly. Note that the behaviour of the CGI servlet has remained unchanged in this regard. It is only the documentation of the behaviour that was wrong and has been corrected.

Record
CVE-2017-15706
CVSS 3.0
5.3 MediumCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
CVSS 2.0
5.0 MediumAV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N
Weakness
CWE-358
Updated
2026-11-02
CVE List No score

As part of the fix for bug 61201, the documentation for Apache Tomcat 9.0.0.M22 to 9.0.1, 8.5.16 to 8.5.23, 8.0.45 to 8.0.47 and 7.0.79 to 7.0.82 included an updated description of the search algorithm used by the CGI Servlet to identify which script to execute. The update was not correct. As a result, some scripts may have failed to execute as expected and other scripts may have been executed unexpectedly. Note that the behaviour of the CGI servlet has remained unchanged in this regard. It is only the documentation of the behaviour that was wrong and has been corrected.

Record
CVE-2017-15706
Updated
2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2022-2123 No score

As part of the fix for bug 61201, the documentation for Apache Tomcat 9.0.0.M22 to 9.0.1, 8.5.16 to 8.5.23, 8.0.45 to 8.0.47 and 7.0.79 to 7.0.82 included an updated description of the search algorithm used by the CGI Servlet to identify which script to execute. The update was not correct. As a result, some scripts may have failed to execute as expected and other scripts may have been executed unexpectedly. Note that the behaviour of the CGI servlet has remained unchanged in this regard. It is only the documentation of the behaviour that was wrong and has been corrected.

Record
EUVD-2022-2123
Updated
2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-372q-33vh-8mpc 5.3

Inconsistent documentation in Apache Tomcat

As part of the fix for bug 61201, the documentation for Apache Tomcat 9.0.0.M22 to 9.0.1, 8.5.16 to 8.5.23, 8.0.45 to 8.0.47 and 7.0.79 to 7.0.82 included an updated description of the search algorithm used by the CGI Servlet to identify which script to execute. The update was not correct. As a result, some scripts may have failed to execute as expected and other scripts may have been executed unexpectedly. Note that the behaviour of the CGI servlet has remained unchanged in this regard. It is only the documentation of the behaviour that was wrong and has been corrected.

Record
GHSA-372q-33vh-8mpc
CVSS 3.0
5.3 MediumCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
Weakness
CWE-358, CWE-1068
Updated
2026-11-02
OSV 5.3

As part of the fix for bug 61201, the documentation for Apache Tomcat 9.0.0.M22 to 9.0.1, 8.5.16 to 8.5.23, 8.0.45 to 8.0.47 and 7.0.79 to 7.0.82 included an updated description of the search algorithm used by the CGI Servlet to identify which script to execute. The update was not correct. As a result, some scripts may have failed to execute as expected and other scripts may have been executed unexpectedly. Note that the behaviour of the CGI servlet has remained unchanged in this regard. It is only the documentation of the behaviour that was wrong and has been corrected.

Record
CVE-2017-15706
CVSS 3.0
5.3 MediumCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-372q-33vh-8mpc 5.3

Inconsistent documentation in Apache Tomcat

As part of the fix for bug 61201, the documentation for Apache Tomcat 9.0.0.M22 to 9.0.1, 8.5.16 to 8.5.23, 8.0.45 to 8.0.47 and 7.0.79 to 7.0.82 included an updated description of the search algorithm used by the CGI Servlet to identify which script to execute. The update was not correct. As a result, some scripts may have failed to execute as expected and other scripts may have been executed unexpectedly. Note that the behaviour of the CGI servlet has remained unchanged in this regard. It is only the documentation of the behaviour that was wrong and has been corrected.

Record
GHSA-372q-33vh-8mpc
CVSS 3.0
5.3 MediumCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
Weakness
CWE-1068, CWE-358
Updated
2026-11-02
Show 6 moreShow less
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2017-15706 5.3

As part of the fix for bug 61201, the documentation for Apache Tomcat 9.0.0.M22 to 9.0.1, 8.5.16 to 8.5.23, 8.0.45 to 8.0.47 and 7.0.79 to 7.0.82 included an updated description of the search algorithm used by the CGI Servlet to identify which script to execute. The update was not correct. As a result, some scripts may have failed to execute as expected and other scripts may have been executed unexpectedly. Note that the behaviour of the CGI servlet has remained unchanged in this regard. It is only the documentation of the behaviour that was wrong and has been corrected.

Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2017-15706
CVSS 3.0
5.3 MediumCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVMGASA-2018-0149 No score

Updated tomcat packages fix security vulnerabilities

In Tomcat 8.0.45, the description of the search algorithm used by the CGI Servlet to identify which script to execute was updated. The update was not correct. As a result, some scripts may have failed to execute as expected and other scripts may have been executed unexpectedly. Note that the behavior of the CGI servlet has remained unchanged in this regard. It is only the documentation of the behavior that was wrong and has been corrected (CVE-2017-15706).

The URL pattern of "" (the empty string) which exactly maps to the context root was not correctly handled when used as part of a security constraint definition. This caused the constraint to be ignored. It was, therefore, possible for unauthorized users to gain access to web application resources that should have been protected. Only security constraints with a URL pattern of the empty string were affected (CVE-2018-1304).

Security constraints defined by annotations of Servlets were only applied once a Servlet had been loaded. Because security constraints defined in this way apply to the URL pattern and any URLs below that point, it was possible - depending on the order Servlets were loaded - for some security constraints not to be applied. This could have exposed resources to users who were not authorized to access them (CVE-2018-1305).

Record
MGASA-2018-0149
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVSUSE-SU-2018:0817-1 No score

Security update for tomcat

This update for tomcat fixes the following issues:

Security issues fixed:

  • CVE-2018-1305: Fixed late application of security constraints that can lead to resource exposure for unauthorised users (bsc#1082481).
  • CVE-2018-1304: Fixed incorrect handling of empty string URL in security constraints that can lead to unitended exposure of resources (bsc#1082480).
  • CVE-2017-15706: Fixed incorrect documentation of CGI Servlet search algorithm that may lead to misconfiguration (bsc#1078677).
Record
SUSE-SU-2018:0817-1
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVSUSE-SU-2018:3261-1 No score

Security update for tomcat

This update for tomcat fixes the following issues:

Version update to 7.0.90:

Security issues fixed:

  • CVE-2018-11784: When the default servlet in Apache Tomcat returned a redirect to a directory (e.g. redirecting to '/foo/' when the user requested '/foo') a specially crafted URL could be used to cause the redirect to be generated to any URI of the attackers choice. (bsc#1110850)
  • CVE-2017-15706: As part of the fix for bug 61201, the documentation for Apache Tomcat included an updated description of the search algorithm used by the CGI Servlet to identify which script to execute. The update was not correct. As a result, some scripts may have failed to execute as expected and other scripts may have been executed unexpectedly. Note that the behaviour of the CGI servlet has remained unchanged in this regard. It is only the documentation of the behaviour that was wrong and has been corrected.(bsc#1078677)
  • CVE-2018-1304: The URL pattern of '' (the empty string) which exactly maps to the context root was not correctly handled in Apache Tomcat when used as part of a security constraint definition. This caused the constraint to be ignored. It was, therefore, possible for unauthorised users to gain access to web application resources that should have been protected. Only security constraints with a URL pattern of the empty string were affected. (bsc#1082480)
  • CVE-2018-1305: Security constraints defined by annotations of Servlets in Apache Tomcat were only applied once a Servlet had been loaded. Because security constraints defined in this way apply to the URL pattern and any URLs below that point, it was possible - depending on the order Servlets were loaded - for some security constraints not to be applied. This could have exposed resources to users who were not authorised to access them.(bsc#1082481)
  • CVE-2018-1336: An improper handing of overflow in the UTF-8 decoder with supplementary characters can lead to an infinite loop in the decoder causing a Denial of Service. (bsc#1102400)
  • CVE-2018-8014: Fixed default settings for the CORS filter, which were insecure and enabled 'supportsCredentials' for all origins. (bsc#1093697)
  • CVE-2018-8034: Fixed the host name verification when using TLS with the WebSocket client, which was not enabled by default. (bsc#1102379)
Record
SUSE-SU-2018:3261-1
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVSUSE-SU-2018:3388-1 No score

Security update for tomcat

This update for tomcat to version 8.0.53 fixes the following security issues:

  • CVE-2018-11784: When the default servlet in Apache Tomcat returned a redirect to a directory (e.g. redirecting to '/foo/' when the user requested '/foo') a specially crafted URL could be used to cause the redirect to be generated to any URI of the attackers choice. (bsc#1110850)
  • CVE-2018-1336: An improper handing of overflow in the UTF-8 decoder with supplementary characters could have lead to an infinite loop in the decoder causing a Denial of Service (bsc#1102400)
  • CVE-2018-8034: The host name verification when using TLS with the WebSocket client was missing. It is now enabled by default (bsc#1102379)
  • CVE-2018-8037: If an async request was completed by the application at the same time as the container triggered the async timeout, a race condition existed that could have resulted in a user seeing a response intended for a different user. An additional issue was present in the NIO and NIO2 connectors that did not correctly track the closure of the connection when an async request was completed by the application and timed out by the container at the same time. This could also have resulted in a user seeing a response intended for another user (bsc#1102410)
  • CVE-2018-1305: Fixed late application of security constraints that can lead to resource exposure for unauthorised users (bsc#1082481).
  • CVE-2018-1304: Fixed incorrect handling of empty string URL in security constraints that can lead to unitended exposure of resources (bsc#1082480).
  • CVE-2017-15706: Fixed incorrect documentation of CGI Servlet search algorithm that may lead to misconfiguration (bsc#1078677).
  • CVE-2018-8014: The defaults settings for the CORS filter were insecure and enable 'supportsCredentials' for all origins (bsc#1093697).
Record
SUSE-SU-2018:3388-1
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVUSN-3665-1 No score

tomcat7, tomcat8 vulnerabilities

It was discovered that Tomcat incorrectly handled being configured with HTTP PUTs enabled. A remote attacker could use this issue to upload a JSP file to the server and execute arbitrary code. This issue only affected Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, Ubuntu 16.04 LTS and Ubuntu 17.10. (CVE-2017-12616, CVE-2017-12617)

It was discovered that Tomcat contained incorrect documentation regarding description of the search algorithm used by the CGI Servlet to identify which script to execute. This issue only affected Ubuntu 17.10. (CVE-2017-15706)

It was discovered that Tomcat incorrectly handled en empty string URL pattern in security constraint definitions. A remote attacker could possibly use this issue to gain access to web application resources, contrary to expectations. This issue only affected Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, Ubuntu 16.04 LTS and Ubuntu 17.10. (CVE-2018-1304)

It was discovered that Tomcat incorrectly handled applying certain security constraints. A remote attacker could possibly access certain resources, contrary to expectations. This issue only affected Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, Ubuntu 16.04 LTS and Ubuntu 17.10. (CVE-2018-1305)

It was discovered that the Tomcat CORS filter default settings were insecure and would enable 'supportsCredentials' for all origins, contrary to expectations. (CVE-2018-8014)

Record
USN-3665-1
Updated
2026-11-02

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat
Maven
9.0.0.M22 up to 9.0.2
9.0.2
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat
Maven
8.5.16 up to 8.5.24
8.5.24
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat
Maven
8.0.45 up to 8.0.48
8.0.48
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat
Maven
7.0.79 up to 7.0.84
7.0.84
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat
Maven
9.0.0.M22 up to 9.0.2, plus listed versions
9.0.0.M259.0.0.M269.0.0.M279.0.1
9.0.2
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat
Maven
8.5.16 up to 8.5.24, plus listed versions
8.5.198.5.208.5.218.5.23
8.5.24
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat
Maven
8.0.45 up to 8.0.48, plus listed versions
8.0.468.0.47
8.0.48
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat
Maven
7.0.79 up to 7.0.84, plus listed versions
7.0.817.0.82
7.0.84
tomcat
Mageia:6
before 8.0.50-1.mga6
8.0.50-1.mga6
tomcat
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for Raspberry Pi 12 SP2
before 8.0.50-29.8.2
8.0.50-29.8.2
Show 10 moreShow less
Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
tomcat
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP2
before 8.0.50-29.8.2
8.0.50-29.8.2
tomcat
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP2
before 8.0.50-29.8.2
8.0.50-29.8.2
tomcat
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP3
before 8.0.50-29.8.2
8.0.50-29.8.2
tomcat
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP3
before 8.0.50-29.8.2
8.0.50-29.8.2
tomcat
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12-LTSS
before 7.0.90-7.23.1
7.0.90-7.23.1
tomcat
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP1
before 8.0.53-10.35.1
8.0.53-10.35.1
tomcat
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP1-LTSS
before 8.0.53-10.35.1
8.0.53-10.35.1
tomcat7
Ubuntu:14.04:LTS
before 7.0.52-1ubuntu0.14, plus listed versions
7.0.42-17.0.47-17.0.50-17.0.52-17.0.52-1ubuntu0.1
Show 8 moreShow less
7.0.52-1ubuntu0.37.0.52-1ubuntu0.67.0.52-1ubuntu0.77.0.52-1ubuntu0.87.0.52-1ubuntu0.97.0.52-1ubuntu0.107.0.52-1ubuntu0.117.0.52-1ubuntu0.13
7.0.52-1ubuntu0.14
tomcat8
Ubuntu:16.04:LTS
before 8.0.32-1ubuntu1.6, plus listed versions
8.0.26-18.0.28-18.0.30-18.0.32-18.0.32-1ubuntu1
Show 5 moreShow less
8.0.32-1ubuntu1.18.0.32-1ubuntu1.28.0.32-1ubuntu1.38.0.32-1ubuntu1.48.0.32-1ubuntu1.5
8.0.32-1ubuntu1.6
tomcat8
Ubuntu:18.04:LTS
before 8.5.30-1ubuntu1.2, plus listed versions
8.5.21-1ubuntu18.5.29-18.5.30-18.5.30-1ubuntu1
8.5.30-1ubuntu1.2

History

History
RecordedChangedSources
affected
aliasesEUVD
first indexedCVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV

Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.

In short

CVE-2017-15706 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 5.3) in Apache Tomcat, published January 31, 2018. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 6.08%, the 93rd percentile. Fixed in org.apache.tomcat:tomcat 9.0.2.

References

Show 65 moreShow less
MoveEnter Open