CVE-2021-24122 — Apache Tomcat information disclosure
When serving resources from a network location using the NTFS file system, Apache Tomcat versions 10.0.0-M1 to 10.0.0-M9, 9.0.0.M1 to 9.0.39, 8.5.0 to 8.5.59 and 7.0.0 to 7.0.106 were susceptible to JSP source code disclosure in some configurations. The root cause was the unexpected behaviour of the JRE API File.getCanonicalPath() which in turn was caused by the inconsistent behaviour of the Windows API (FindFirstFileW) in some circumstances.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- EPSS 22.9% (30-day exploitation probability)+15
- Technical severity (medium)+3
- Automatable exploitation (SSVC)+3
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
CISA SSVC assessment CISA
Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Apache Software Foundation Tomcat, Debian Debian Linux, Oracle Agile Product Lifecycle Management).
- The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
- No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
- EPSS ahead of 98% of scored CVEs: prioritize it in the patch queue.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (file handling), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apache Software Foundation | Tomcat |
version 10.0.0-milestone3version 9.0.0-milestone26version 9.0.0-milestone27version 9.0.0-milestone3version 9.0.0-milestone4version 9.0.0-milestone5version 9.0.0-milestone6version 9.0.0-milestone7 and 31 moreversion 9.0.0-milestone8version 9.0.0-milestone9version 10.0.0-milestone1version 10.0.0-milestone2version 9.0.0-milestone25version 10.0.0-milestone4version 10.0.0-milestone5version 10.0.0-milestone6version 10.0.0-milestone7version 10.0.0-milestone8version 10.0.0-milestone9version 9.0.0-milestone24≥ 7.0.0 and ≤ 7.0.106≥ 8.5.0 and ≤ 8.5.59≥ 9.0.1 and ≤ 9.0.39version 9.0.0-milestone1version 9.0.0-milestone10version 9.0.0-milestone11version 9.0.0-milestone12version 9.0.0-milestone13version 9.0.0-milestone14version 9.0.0-milestone15version 9.0.0-milestone16version 9.0.0-milestone17version 9.0.0-milestone18version 9.0.0-milestone19version 9.0.0-milestone2version 9.0.0-milestone20version 9.0.0-milestone21version 9.0.0-milestone22version 9.0.0-milestone23 |
Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Apache Software Foundation | Tomcat | ≥ Apache Tomcat 10 and < 10.0.0-M10≥ Apache Tomcat 9 and < 9.0.40≥ Apache Tomcat 8.5 and < 8.5.60≥ Apache Tomcat 7 and < 7.0.106 | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| Debian | Debian Linux | version 9.0 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Oracle | Agile Product Lifecycle Management | version 9.3.6version 9.3.3 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.9 | CVSS 3.1 | Medium | 2.2 | 3.6 | nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 4.3 | CVSS 2.0 | Medium | 8.6 | 2.9 | nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
EPSS over time FIRST
Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 15, 2026 · 3 reading(s) · max 22.85%
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
- Monitor file creation in web directories and paths with traversal sequences (../).
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · apache software foundation/apache tomcat
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- CVSS changed · 5.9
- Source status changed · → Modified
- Record created in this database
- 2021
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
References
11 on the record
- lists.apache.org/thread.html/r1595889b083e05986f42b944dc43060d6b083022260b6ea64d2cec52
- www.oracle.com//security-alerts/cpujul2021.html
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/01/14/1
- lists.apache.org/thread.html/r1595889b083e05986f42b944dc43060d6b083022260b6ea64d2cec52
- lists.apache.org/thread.html/rb32a73b7cb919d4f44a2596b6b951274c0004fc8b0e393d6829a45f9
- lists.apache.org/thread.html/r7e0bb9ea415724550e2b325e143b23e269579e54d66fcd7754bd0c20
- lists.apache.org/thread.html/rca833c6d42b7b9ce1563488c0929f29fcc95947d86e5e740258c8937
- lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/03/msg00018.html
- security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210212-0008/
- lists.apache.org/thread.html/r776c64337495bf28b7d5597268114a888e3fad6045c40a0da0c66d4d
- lists.apache.org/thread.html/r7382e1e35b9bc7c8f320b90ad77e74c13172d08034e20c18000fe710
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- High CVE-2026-87022 Apache Tomcat: WebSocket message smuggling with per-message-deflate 22d
- Critical CVE-2026-86350 Apache Tomcat: Regression in fix for CVE-2026-41293 can trigger request header mix-up 22d
- Critical CVE-2026-86248 Apache Tomcat: Fix for CVE-2026-34500 was incomplete. OCSP checks sometimes soft-fail with FFM even when soft-fail is disabled 22d
- High CVE-2026-78437 Apache Tomcat: HTTP/2 DoS via malformed request 22d
- High CVE-2026-78383 Apache Tomcat: AJP DoS via missing request body 22d
- High CVE-2026-79677 Apache Tomcat: WebSocket DoS due to lost asynchronous write timeout 22d
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2021-24122 is "Apache Tomcat information disclosure", rated Medium. It affects Tomcat (Apache Software Foundation); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 5.9 describes technical severity. EPSS 22.85% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
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