Description
The postinst script in the tomcat6 package before 6.0.45+dfsg-1~deb7u4 on Debian wheezy, before 6.0.35-1ubuntu3.9 on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS and on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS; the tomcat7 package before 7.0.28-4+deb7u8 on Debian wheezy, before 7.0.56-3+deb8u6 on Debian jessie, before 7.0.52-1ubuntu0.8 on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, and on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, 16.04 LTS, and 16.10; and the tomcat8 package before 8.0.14-1+deb8u5 on Debian jessie, before 8.0.32-1ubuntu1.3 on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, before 8.0.37-1ubuntu0.1 on Ubuntu 16.10, and before 8.0.38-2ubuntu1 on Ubuntu 17.04 might allow local users with access to the tomcat account to obtain sensitive information or gain root privileges via a symlink attack on the Catalina localhost directory.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 8 | tomcat7 | 7.0.56-3+deb8u6 | DSA-3738-1 |
| Debian 8 | tomcat8 | 8.0.14-1+deb8u5 | DSA-3739-1 |
| Debian 7 | tomcat6 | 6.0.45+dfsg-1~deb7u4 | DLA-746-1 |
| Debian 7 | tomcat7 | 7.0.28-4+deb7u8 | DLA-753-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | tomcat7 | 7.0.68-1ubuntu0.3 | — |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | tomcat8 | 8.0.32-1ubuntu1.3 | USN-3177-1 |
| Ubuntu 14.04 LTS | tomcat7 | 7.0.52-1ubuntu0.8 | USN-3177-1 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS | tomcat6 | No fix yet | — |
Advisories 5
- USN-3177-1 tomcat6, tomcat7, tomcat8 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Apr 27, 2026
- DLA-753-1 tomcat7 - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DLA-746-1 tomcat6 - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DSA-3738-1 tomcat7 - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DSA-3739-1 tomcat8 - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- USN-3177-2 vendor-advisory
- 94643 vdb-entry
- DSA-3739 vendor-advisory
- DSA-3738 vendor-advisory
- [oss-security] 20161202 CVE request: tomcat privilege escalations in Debian packaging mailing-list
- [oss-security] 20161202 Re: CVE request: tomcat privilege escalations in Debian packaging mailing-list
- USN-3177-1 vendor-advisory
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20180731-0002/
- https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=845393