CVE-2025-48989
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes an Improper Resource Shutdown or Release vulnerability in Apache Tomcat that enables a 'made you reset' attack. Attackers can exploit this to cause resource exhaustion or service disruption. Affected users include anyone running vulnerable versions of Apache Tomcat.
💻 Affected Systems
- Apache Tomcat
📦 What is this software?
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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
Tomcat by Apache
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete denial of service through resource exhaustion, potentially causing application downtime and service unavailability.
Likely Case
Service degradation or intermittent availability issues due to resource exhaustion attacks.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper resource monitoring and rate limiting in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
The vulnerability appears to be exploitable without authentication based on the description.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 11.0.10, 10.1.44, or 9.0.108
Vendor Advisory: https://lists.apache.org/thread/9ydfg0xr0tchmglcprhxgwhj0hfwxlyf
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download the patched version from Apache Tomcat website. 2. Stop the Tomcat service. 3. Backup current installation. 4. Replace with patched version. 5. Restart Tomcat service.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Rate Limiting
allImplement connection rate limiting to prevent resource exhaustion attacks
# Configure in server.xml: <Connector ... maxConnections="100" acceptCount="50" />
Resource Monitoring
linuxMonitor Tomcat resource usage and implement alerts for abnormal patterns
# Monitor with: ps aux | grep tomcat
# Check connections: netstat -an | grep :8080 | wc -l
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation and firewall rules to limit access to Tomcat instances
- Deploy web application firewalls (WAF) with rate limiting and DoS protection rules
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Tomcat version by examining the server startup logs or version.txt file in the Tomcat installation directoryCheck Version:
grep 'Server version' $CATALINA_HOME/logs/catalina.out | head -1Verify Fix Applied:
Verify the version number matches or exceeds the patched versions (11.0.10, 10.1.44, or 9.0.108)📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual connection patterns
- Resource exhaustion warnings
- Multiple connection resets
Network Indicators:
- Abnormal number of TCP connections to Tomcat ports
- Connection reset patterns
SIEM Query:
source="tomcat" AND ("connection reset" OR "resource exhausted" OR "max connections")