Apache Tomcat WAR file directory traversal vulnerability
Description
This alert was generated using only banner information. It may be a false positive.
Apache Tomcat versions 5.5.0 through 5.5.28 and 6.0.0 through 6.0.20 contain a directory traversal vulnerability in the WAR file deployment mechanism. The application fails to properly validate file paths during WAR deployment, allowing attackers to use specially crafted WAR files containing path traversal sequences (such as "../") to write files outside the intended deployment directory. This vulnerability can be exploited remotely by deploying a malicious WAR file to the server.
Affected Apache Tomcat versions: 5.5.0 - 5.5.28
Affected Apache Tomcat versions: 6.0.0 - 6.0.20
Remediation
Upgrade Apache Tomcat to a patched version immediately:
For 5.5.x branch: Upgrade to Apache Tomcat 5.5.29 or later
For 6.0.x branch: Upgrade to Apache Tomcat 6.0.21 or later
Recommended: Migrate to a currently supported version (Tomcat 9.0.x or 10.1.x) as versions 5.5 and 6.0 are no longer maintained
Additional security measures:
• Restrict WAR deployment privileges to trusted administrators only
• Implement strict access controls on the Tomcat Manager application
• Validate and scan all WAR files from external sources before deployment
• Monitor file system activity for unexpected file modifications outside the webapps directory
• Review and apply the principle of least privilege to the Tomcat process user account