Published on: 2025-03-17

Intelligence Report: Threat actors rapidly exploit new Apache Tomcat flaw following PoC release – Securityaffairs.com

1. BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front)

A newly disclosed vulnerability in Apache Tomcat, tracked as CVE, is being actively exploited within hours of a proof-of-concept (PoC) release. This flaw allows remote code execution under specific conditions and affects multiple versions of Apache Tomcat. The vulnerability’s exploitation requires the write-enabled default servlet and partial support for specific file handling conditions. Immediate action is recommended to mitigate potential threats.

2. Detailed Analysis

The following structured analytic techniques have been applied for this analysis:

General Analysis

The vulnerability, identified as a path equivalence flaw, allows attackers to hijack Apache Tomcat servers with a single API request. The PoC was initially published by a user named isee on a Chinese forum. The attack involves uploading a malicious Java session file and triggering a deserialization request, which can bypass traditional security filters due to bad base encoding. This makes detection challenging for web application firewalls (WAFs), as the attack lacks obvious malicious content.

3. Implications and Strategic Risks

The rapid exploitation of this vulnerability poses significant risks to national security, regional stability, and economic interests. The ability to execute remote code on vulnerable servers can lead to unauthorized data access, service disruptions, and potential control over critical infrastructure. The flaw’s exploitation highlights the need for improved cybersecurity measures and rapid response capabilities.

4. Recommendations and Outlook

Recommendations:

• Organizations should immediately update affected Apache Tomcat versions to mitigate the vulnerability.
• Implement enhanced monitoring and detection mechanisms to identify and respond to potential exploitation attempts.
• Consider regulatory and organizational changes to improve cybersecurity resilience and incident response capabilities.

Outlook:

In the best-case scenario, rapid patching and improved detection measures will mitigate the threat with minimal impact. In the worst-case scenario, widespread exploitation could lead to significant data breaches and service disruptions. The most likely outcome involves a moderate level of exploitation, with organizations that delay patching facing increased risks.

5. Key Individuals and Entities

The report mentions the following significant individuals and entities:

• isee – The user who initially published the PoC on a Chinese forum.
• Wallarm researchers – Confirmed active exploitation of the flaw and provided analysis on the attack’s execution.