CVE-2018-1304
CVE-2018-1304 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Apache Tomcat with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.9. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 17% places it in the 97th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation.
Key facts
- Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.9)
- CVSS v2: 4.3
- EPSS exploit prediction: 17% (97th percentile)
- Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
- Affected product: Apache Tomcat
- Published:
- Last modified:
Description
The URL pattern of "" (the empty string) which exactly maps to the context root was not correctly handled in Apache Tomcat 9.0.0.M1 to 9.0.4, 8.5.0 to 8.5.27, 8.0.0.RC1 to 8.0.49 and 7.0.0 to 7.0.84 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.
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2018-1304?
- The URL pattern of "" (the empty string) which exactly maps to the context root was not correctly handled in Apache Tomcat 9.0.0.M1 to 9.0.4, 8.5.0 to 8.5.27, 8.0.0.RC1 to 8.0.49 and 7.0.0 to 7.0.84 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.
- How severe is CVE-2018-1304?
- CVE-2018-1304 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.9, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with high attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability none.
- Is CVE-2018-1304 being actively exploited?
- It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 17% (97th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- What products are affected by CVE-2018-1304?
- CVE-2018-1304 primarily affects Apache Tomcat. In total, 46 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
- How do I fix CVE-2018-1304?
- Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
- When was CVE-2018-1304 published?
- CVE-2018-1304 was published on 2018-02-28 and last updated on 2026-06-17.
References
- http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpujul2018-4258247.html
- http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpuoct2018-4428296.html
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/103170
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1040427
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:0465
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:0466
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:1320
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:1447
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:1448
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:1449
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:1450
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:1451
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2939
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:2205
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/1dd0a59c1295cc08ce4c9e7edae5ad2268acc9ba55adcefa0532e5ba%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/343558d982879bf88ec20dbf707f8c11255f8e219e81d45c4f8d0551%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/388a323769f1dff84c9ec905455aa73fbcb20338e3c7eb131457f708%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/3d19773b4cf0377db62d1e9328bf9160bf1819f04f988315086931d7%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/5c0e00fd31efc11e147bf99d0f03c00a734447d3b131ab0818644cdb%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/6af47120905aa7d8fe12f42e8ff2284fb338ba141d3b77b8c7cb61b3%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/845312a10aabbe2c499fca94003881d2c79fc993d85f34c1f5c77424%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/88855876c33f2f9c532ffb75bfee570ccf0b17ffa77493745af9a17a%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/b1d7e2425d6fd2cebed40d318f9365b44546077e10949b01b1f8a0fb%40%3Cannounce.tomcat.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/b5e3f51d28cd5d9b1809f56594f2cf63dcd6a90429e16ea9f83bbedc%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/e85e83e9954f169bbb77b44baae5a33d8de878df557bb32b7f793661%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/eb6efa8d59c45a7a9eff94c4b925467d3b3fec8ba7697f3daa314b04%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r3bbb800a816d0a51eccc5a228c58736960a9fffafa581a225834d97d%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r48c1444845fe15a823e1374674bfc297d5008a5453788099ea14caf0%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r6ccee4e849bc77df0840c7f853f6bd09d426f6741247da2b7429d5d9%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r9136ff5b13e4f1941360b5a309efee2c114a14855578c3a2cbe5d19c%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
Affected products (46)
- cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:8.0.0:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*
- 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:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:9.0.0:milestone25:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:9.0.0:milestone26:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:9.0.0:milestone27:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:9.0.0:milestone3:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:9.0.0:milestone4:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:9.0.0:milestone5:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:9.0.0:milestone6:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:9.0.0:milestone7:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:9.0.0:milestone8:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:apache:tomcat:9.0.0:milestone9:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:redhat:jboss_enterprise_application_platform:6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:redhat:jboss_enterprise_application_platform:6.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:redhat:jboss_enterprise_web_server:3.0.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:14.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:17.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:oracle:fusion_middleware:12.2.1.3.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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