CVE-2024-52316
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Apache Tomcat allows authentication bypass when using custom Jakarta Authentication components that throw exceptions without setting proper HTTP failure status. It affects Tomcat versions 11.0.0-M1 through 11.0.0-M26, 10.1.0-M1 through 10.1.30, 9.0.0-M1 through 9.0.95, and potentially EOL versions like 8.5.0 through 8.5.100. Attackers could potentially bypass authentication mechanisms to gain unauthorized access.
💻 Affected Systems
- Apache Tomcat
📦 What is this software?
Tomcat by Apache
Tomcat by Apache
Tomcat by Apache
Tomcat by Apache
Tomcat by Apache
Tomcat by Apache
Tomcat by Apache
Tomcat by Apache
Tomcat by Apache
Tomcat by Apache
Tomcat by Apache
Tomcat by Apache
Tomcat by Apache
Tomcat by Apache
Tomcat by Apache
Tomcat by Apache
Tomcat by Apache
Tomcat by Apache
Tomcat by Apache
Tomcat by Apache
Tomcat by Apache
Tomcat by Apache
Tomcat by Apache
Tomcat by Apache
Tomcat by Apache
Tomcat by Apache
Tomcat by Apache
Tomcat by Apache
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete authentication bypass allowing unauthorized access to protected resources, potentially leading to data theft, privilege escalation, or full system compromise.
Likely Case
Authentication bypass for applications using vulnerable custom Jakarta Authentication components, though no known components currently exhibit this behavior.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact if no custom Jakarta Authentication components are used or if proper exception handling is implemented.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires specific conditions: custom Jakarta Authentication components must exist and behave in a particular way. No known exploits exist currently.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 11.0.0, 10.1.31, or 9.0.96
Vendor Advisory: https://lists.apache.org/thread/lopzlqh91jj9n334g02om08sbysdb928
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download patched Tomcat version from Apache website. 2. Stop Tomcat service. 3. Backup current installation. 4. Replace with patched version. 5. Restart Tomcat service. 6. Verify version and functionality.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable custom Jakarta Authentication components
allRemove or disable any custom Jakarta Authentication (JASPIC) ServerAuthContext components from Tomcat configuration
Review and modify server.xml, context.xml, and web.xml files to remove custom <auth-method> and <login-config> elements related to Jakarta Authentication
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement network segmentation and firewall rules to restrict access to Tomcat instances
- Monitor authentication logs for unusual patterns and implement additional authentication layers
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Tomcat version and configuration for custom Jakarta Authentication components. Vulnerable if version is in affected range AND custom components are configured.Check Version:
java -cp "$CATALINA_HOME/lib/catalina.jar" org.apache.catalina.util.ServerInfoVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Tomcat version is 11.0.0, 10.1.31, 9.0.96 or higher using version check command📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Authentication exceptions without corresponding HTTP failure status codes
- Successful authentication after authentication component exceptions
Network Indicators:
- Unauthenticated requests accessing protected resources
- Authentication bypass patterns
SIEM Query:
source="tomcat" AND (event_type="authentication_exception" AND NOT http_status=401 AND NOT http_status=403)