CVE-2002-2272: Apache Tomcat Denial of Service Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-pqr5-9v2j-44xg
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CWE-119
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2002-2272 is a HIGH denial of service vulnerability (CWE-119: Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer) affecting Apache Tomcat libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves apache tomcat dos via malicious get request. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2002-2272 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2002-2272
GHSA Identifier GHSA-pqr5-9v2j-44xg
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-119: Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer
Affected Product Apache Tomcat
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2002-2272

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Apache Tomcat dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

org.apache.tomcat:tomcat fixed: Latest secure release 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.tomcat</groupId>
    <artifactId>tomcat</artifactId>
    <version>Latest secure release</version>
</dependency>
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.tomcat

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2002-2272, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.tomcat

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Apache Tomcat in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.tomcat command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-119: Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer, where the product performs operations on a memory buffer, but it reads from or writes to a memory location outside the buffer's intended boundary. this may result in read or write operations on unexpected memory locations that could be linked to other variables, data structures, or internal program data. In Apache Tomcat, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

Tomcat 4.0 through 4.1.12, using mod_jk 1.2.1 module on Apache 1.3 through 1.3.27, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (desynchronized communications) via an HTTP GET request with a Transfer-Encoding chunked field with invalid values.

CVE-2002-2272 Affected Apache Tomcat Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat
maven/org.apache.tomcat/tomcat
Maven
≥ 4.0.0
≤ 4.1.12

References

NVD — CVE-2002-2272 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2002-2272
exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/107... WEB
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/10771
Apache Tomcat Security Information SECURITY
https://web.archive.org/web/20030501051114/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/6320
web.archive.org/web/20051124132812/... WEB
https://web.archive.org/web/20051124132812/http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/bugtraq/2002-12/0045.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2002-2272?
CVE-2002-2272 is a security vulnerability in Apache Tomcat involving Apache Tomcat DoS via Malicious Get Request under CWE-119: Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer.
Which Apache Tomcat versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: org.apache.tomcat:tomcat.
What version fixes CVE-2002-2272?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is tomcat affected?
Yes, org.apache.tomcat:tomcat is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2002-2272?
CVE-2002-2272 is classified under CWE-119: Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer (The product performs operations on a memory buffer, but it reads from or writes to a memory location outside the buffer's intended boundary. This may result in read or write operations on unexpected memory locations that could be linked to other variables, data structures, or internal program data.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2002-2272?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.tomcat'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-pqr5-9v2j-44xg",
  "modified" : "2024-02-12T20:23:12Z",
  "published" : "2022-04-30T18:22:50Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2002-2272" ],
  "summary" : "Apache Tomcat DoS via Malicious Get Request",
  "details" : "Tomcat 4.0 through 4.1.12, using mod_jk 1.2.1 module on Apache 1.3 through 1.3.27, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (desynchronized communications) via an HTTP GET request with a Transfer-Encoding chunked field with invalid values.",
  "severity" : [ ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.tomcat:tomcat"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "4.1.12"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2002-2272"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/10771"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20030501051114/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/6320"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20051124132812/http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/bugtraq/2002-12/0045.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-119" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-02-12T20:23:12Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2002-12-31T05:00:00Z"
  }
}