Apache Tomcat: Untrusted Search Path
CVE-2025-49124 is a high-severity untrusted search path vulnerability in Apache Tomcat from Apache, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.4 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected Apache Tomcat versions: 11.0.0-M1 through 11.0.7; 10.1.0 through 10.1.41; 9.0.23 through 9.0.105, and others listed below. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.38% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update Tomcat to 9.0.106 or 10.1.42 or 11.0.8, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Read the advisory on lists.apache.org for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apache | Apache Tomcat | 11.0.0-M1 through 11.0.7; 10.1.0 through 10.1.41; 9.0.23 through 9.0.105; 8.5.44 through 8.5.100; 7.0.95 through 7.0.109 | Not stated |
| Apache | Tomcat | 9.0.23 up to, but not including, 9.0.106; 10.1.0 up to, but not including, 10.1.42; 11.0.0 up to, but not including, 11.0.8 | 9.0.106, 10.1.42, 11.0.8 |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- NoneNo account or login is needed.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- HighThe component can be taken down completely.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CISA (ADP).
Official description
Untrusted Search Path vulnerability in Apache Tomcat installer for Windows. During installation, the Tomcat installer for Windows used icacls.exe without specifying a full path. This issue affects Apache Tomcat: from 11.0.0-M1 through 11.0.7, from 10.1.0 through 10.1.41, from 9.0.23 through 9.0.105. The following versions were EOL at the time the CVE was created but are known to be affected: 8.5.0 through 8.5.100 and 7.0.95 through 7.0.109. Other EOL versions may also be affected. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 11.0.8, 10.1.42 or 9.0.106, which fix the issue.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Untrusted Search Path
The product searches for critical resources using an externally-supplied search path that can point to resources that are not under the product's direct control.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Hard-code the search path to a set of known-safe values (such as system directories), or only allow them to be specified by the administrator in a configuration file. Do not allow these settings to be modified by an external party. Be careful to avoid related weaknesses such as CWE-426 and CWE-428.
- When invoking other programs, specify those programs using fully-qualified pathnames. While this is an effective approach, code that uses fully-qualified pathnames might not be portable to other systems that do not use the same pathnames. The portability can be improved by locating the full-qualified paths in a centralized, easily-modifiable location within the source code, and having the code refer to these paths.
- Remove or restrict all environment settings before invoking other programs. This includes the PATH environment variable, LD_LIBRARY_PATH, and other settings that identify the location of code libraries, and any application-specific search paths.
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Advisories
Third-party and government advisories
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2025/06/16/3Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
Other vulnerabilities in Apache Tomcat
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 8.1 High severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
- 8.1 High severity
Recent Untrusted Search Path vulnerabilities
- 7.8 High severity
- 8.5 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.0 High severity
- 7.0 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
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