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CRITICAL · CVSS 9.8 CISA Known Exploited Vulnerability

CVE-2016-8735

Apache Tomcat Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Apache Tomcat

Remote code execution is possible with Apache Tomcat before 6.0.48, 7.x before 7.0.73, 8.x before 8.0.39, 8.5.x before 8.5.7, and 9.x before 9.0.0.M12 if JmxRemoteLifecycleListener is used and an attacker can reach JMX ports. The issue exists because this listener wasn't updated for consistency with the CVE-2016-3427 Oracle patch that affected credential types.

CVSS
9.8
CRITICAL
EPSS
90.3%
30-day exploitation
Ransomware groups
0
recorded exploiting
Published
6 Apr 2017
NVD

Exploitation status

CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities

Listed by CISA on 12 May 2023. US federal agencies were required to remediate it by 2 June 2023.

EPSS — exploitation probability

FIRST puts the probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days at 90.3%, which is higher than 99.8% of all scored vulnerabilities. EPSS is a forecast of activity, not a measure of severity, and it is rescored daily.

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Frequently asked questions

Is CVE-2016-8735 being exploited by ransomware groups?

No ransomware group in this database is currently recorded as exploiting CVE-2016-8735.

What does CVE-2016-8735 affect?

CVE-2016-8735 affects Apache Tomcat. Remote code execution is possible with Apache Tomcat before 6.0.48, 7.x before 7.0.73, 8.x before 8.0.39, 8.5.x before 8.5.7, and 9.x before 9.0.0.M12 if JmxRemoteLifecycleListener is used and an attacker can reach JMX ports. The issue exists because this listener wasn't updated for consistency with the CVE-2016-3427 Oracle patch that affected credential types.

How severe is CVE-2016-8735?

CVE-2016-8735 is rated CRITICAL with a CVSS base score of 9.8. EPSS puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 90.3%, higher than 99.8% of all scored vulnerabilities. It is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, with a federal remediation deadline of 2 June 2023.

How should organisations respond to CVE-2016-8735?

Apply the vendor patch for Apache Tomcat as the first priority, and treat any internet-facing instance as the most urgent. Because this vulnerability is associated with ransomware activity, also review whether the affected systems were reachable before patching, rather than assuming that patching alone closes the incident.