CVE-2020-1938

Known Exploited Public Exploit

Description

When using the Apache JServ Protocol (AJP), care must be taken when trusting incoming connections to Apache Tomcat. Tomcat treats AJP connections as having higher trust than, for example, a similar HTTP connection. If such connections are available to an attacker, they can be exploited in ways that may be surprising. In Apache Tomcat 9.0.0.M1 to 9.0.0.30, 8.5.0 to 8.5.50 and 7.0.0 to 7.0.99, Tomcat shipped with an AJP Connector enabled by default that listened on all configured IP addresses. It was expected (and recommended in the security guide) that this Connector would be disabled if not required. This vulnerability report identified a mechanism that allowed: - returning arbitrary files from anywhere in the web application - processing any file in the web application as a JSP Further, if the web application allowed file upload and stored those files within the web application (or the attacker was able to control the content of the web application by some other means) then this, along with the ability to process a file as a JSP, made remote code execution possible. It is important to note that mitigation is only required if an AJP port is accessible to untrusted users. Users wishing to take a defence-in-depth approach and block the vector that permits returning arbitrary files and execution as JSP may upgrade to Apache Tomcat 9.0.31, 8.5.51 or 7.0.100 or later. A number of changes were made to the default AJP Connector configuration in 9.0.31 to harden the default configuration. It is likely that users upgrading to 9.0.31, 8.5.51 or 7.0.100 or later will need to make small changes to their configurations.

9.8
CVSS
Severity: Critical
CVSS 3.1 •
CVSS 2.0 •
EPSS 94.47% Top 5%
KEV Since 
Vendor Advisory opensuse.org Vendor Advisory gentoo.org Vendor Advisory fedoraproject.org Vendor Advisory fedoraproject.org Vendor Advisory fedoraproject.org Vendor Advisory opensuse.org Vendor Advisory debian.org Vendor Advisory debian.org Vendor Advisory apache.org Vendor Advisory apache.org Vendor Advisory apache.org Vendor Advisory apache.org Vendor Advisory apache.org Vendor Advisory apache.org
Affected: Apache Apache Tomcat
Published at:
Updated at:

References

Link Tags
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r7c6f492fbd39af34a68681dbbba0468490ff1a97a1bd79c6a53610ef%40%3Cannounce.tomcat.apache.org%3E vendor advisory mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r856cdd87eda7af40b50278d6de80ee4b42d63adeb433a34a7bdaf9db%40%3Cnotifications.ofbiz.apache.org%3E mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r75113652e46c4dee687236510649acfb70d2c63e074152049c3f399d%40%3Cnotifications.ofbiz.apache.org%3E mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rd0774c95699d5aeb5e16e9a600fb2ea296e81175e30a62094e27e3e7%40%3Ccommits.ofbiz.apache.org%3E patch mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r74328b178f9f37fe759dffbc9c1f2793e66d79d7a8a20d3836551794%40%3Cnotifications.ofbiz.apache.org%3E mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rce2af55f6e144ffcdc025f997eddceb315dfbc0b230e3d750a7f7425%40%3Cnotifications.ofbiz.apache.org%3E mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rad36ec6a1ffc9e43266b030c22ceeea569243555d34fb4187ff08522%40%3Cnotifications.ofbiz.apache.org%3E exploit mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rb2fc890bef23cbc7f343900005fe1edd3b091cf18dada455580258f9%40%3Cusers.tomcat.apache.org%3E issue tracking mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r38a5b7943b9a62ecb853acc22ef08ff586a7b3c66e08f949f0396ab1%40%3Cusers.tomcat.apache.org%3E mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r17aaa3a05b5b7fe9075613dd0c681efa60a4f8c8fbad152c61371b6e%40%3Cusers.tomcat.apache.org%3E mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rd50baccd1bbb96c2327d5a8caa25a49692b3d68d96915bd1cfbb9f8b%40%3Cusers.tomcat.apache.org%3E issue tracking mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r4afa11e0464408e68f0e9560e90b185749363a66398b1491254f7864%40%3Cusers.tomcat.apache.org%3E issue tracking mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r772335e6851ad33ddb076218fa4ff70de1bf398d5b43e2ddf0130e5d%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E issue tracking mailing list
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/03/msg00006.html third party advisory mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/re5eecbe5bf967439bafeeaa85987b3a43f0e6efe06b6976ee768cde2%40%3Cusers.tomcat.apache.org%3E issue tracking mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r5e2f1201b92ee05a0527cfc076a81ea0c270be299b87895c0ddbe02b%40%3Cusers.tomcat.apache.org%3E mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r549b43509e387a42656f0641fa311bf27c127c244fe02007d5b8d6f6%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r61f280a76902b594692f0b24a1dbf647bb5a4c197b9395e9a6796e7c%40%3Cusers.tomcat.apache.org%3E mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r4f86cb260196e5cfcbbe782822c225ddcc70f54560f14a8f11c6926f%40%3Cusers.tomcat.apache.org%3E mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r9f119d9ce9239114022e13dbfe385b3de7c972f24f05d6dbd35c1a2f%40%3Cusers.tomcat.apache.org%3E patch mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r089dc67c0358a1556dd279c762c74f32d7a254a54836b7ee2d839d8e%40%3Cdev.tomee.apache.org%3E mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rbdb1d2b651a3728f0ceba9e0853575b6f90296a94a71836a15f7364a%40%3Cdev.tomee.apache.org%3E mailing list
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-03/msg00025.html third party advisory vendor advisory
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rc068e824654c4b8bd4f2490bec869e29edbfcd5dfe02d47cbf7433b2%40%3Cdev.tomee.apache.org%3E mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf26663f42e7f1a1d1cac732469fb5e92c89908a48b61ec546dbb79ca%40%3Cbugs.httpd.apache.org%3E mailing list
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202003-43 third party advisory vendor advisory
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rcd5cd301e9e7e39f939baf2f5d58704750be07a5e2d3393e40ca7194%40%3Ccommits.tomee.apache.org%3E mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf992c5adf376294af31378a70aa8a158388a41d7039668821be28df3%40%3Ccommits.tomee.apache.org%3E vendor advisory mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r6a5633cad1b560a1e51f5b425f02918bdf30e090fdf18c5f7c2617eb%40%3Ccommits.tomee.apache.org%3E mailing list
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/2XFLQB3O5QVP4ZBIPVIXBEZV7F2R7ZMS/ release notes vendor advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/L46WJIV6UV3FWA5O5YEY6XLA73RYD53B/ release notes vendor advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/K3IPNHCKFVUKSHDTM45UL4Q765EHHTFG/ release notes vendor advisory
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r43faacf64570b1d9a4bada407a5af3b2738b0c007b905f1b6b608c65%40%3Cusers.tomcat.apache.org%3E mailing list
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-05/msg00002.html vendor advisory mailing list third party advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4673 third party advisory vendor advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4680 third party advisory vendor advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/05/msg00026.html third party advisory mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rb1c0fb105ce2b93b7ec6fc1b77dd208022621a91c12d1f580813cfed%40%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E patch mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/ra7092f7492569b39b04ec0decf52628ba86c51f15efb38f5853e2760%40%3Cnotifications.ofbiz.apache.org%3E vendor advisory mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r8f7484589454638af527182ae55ef5b628ba00c05c5b11887c922fb1%40%3Cnotifications.ofbiz.apache.org%3E vendor advisory mailing list
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2020.html third party advisory patch
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200226-0002/ third party advisory
http://support.blackberry.com/kb/articleDetail?articleNumber=000062739 third party advisory
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r92d78655c068d0bc991d1edbdfb24f9c5134603e647cade1113d4e0a%40%3Cusers.tomee.apache.org%3E mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf1bbc0ea4a9f014cf94df9a12a6477d24a27f52741dbc87f2fd52ff2%40%3Cissues.geode.apache.org%3E vendor advisory mailing list
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2020.html third party advisory patch
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r57f5e4ced436ace518a9e222fabe27fb785f09f5bf974814cc48ca97%40%3Ccommits.tomee.apache.org%3E mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r47caef01f663106c2bb81d116b8380d62beac9e543dd3f3bc2c2beda%40%3Ccommits.tomee.apache.org%3E mailing list
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2021.html third party advisory patch
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r90890afea72a9571d666820b2fe5942a0a5f86be406fa31da3dd0922%40%3Cannounce.apache.org%3E vendor advisory mailing list
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r1125f3044a0946d1e7e6f125a6170b58d413ebd4a95157e4608041c7%40%3Cannounce.apache.org%3E mailing list

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the severity of CVE-2020-1938?
CVE-2020-1938 has been scored as a critical severity vulnerability.
How to fix CVE-2020-1938?
To fix CVE-2020-1938, make sure you are using an up-to-date version of the affected component(s) by checking the vendor release notes. As for now, there are no other specific guidelines available.
Is CVE-2020-1938 being actively exploited in the wild?
It is confirmed that CVE-2020-1938 is actively exploited. Be extra cautious if you are using vulnerable components. According to its EPSS score, there is a ~94% probability that this vulnerability will be exploited by malicious actors in the next 30 days.
What software or system is affected by CVE-2020-1938?
CVE-2020-1938 affects Apache Apache Tomcat.
This platform uses data from the NIST NVD, MITRE CVE, MITRE CWE, First.org and CISA KEV but is not endorsed or certified by these entities. CVE is a registred trademark of the MITRE Corporation and the authoritative source of CVE content is MITRE's CVE web site. CWE is a registred trademark of the MITRE Corporation and the authoritative source of CWE content is MITRE's CWE web site.
© 2025 Under My Watch. All Rights Reserved.