CVE-2016-5388: Apache Tomcat Improper Access Control Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-v646-rx6w-r3qq
Share
CVSS 8.1
CWE-284
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-5388 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.1) improper access control vulnerability (CWE-284: Improper Access Control) affecting Apache Tomcat libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves improper access control in apache tomcat. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 7.0.72, 8.5.5.

CVE-2016-5388 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-5388
GHSA Identifier GHSA-v646-rx6w-r3qq
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.1
CWE Classification CWE-284: Improper Access Control
Affected Product Apache Tomcat
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.1

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2016-5388

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-catalina fixed: 7.0.72 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.tomcat</groupId>
    <artifactId>tomcat-catalina</artifactId>
    <version>7.0.72</version>
</dependency>
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina fixed: 8.5.5 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.tomcat</groupId>
    <artifactId>tomcat-catalina</artifactId>
    <version>8.5.5</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-2016-5388, 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 7.0.72), 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-284: Improper Access Control, where the product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor. 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

Apache Tomcat 7.x through 7.0.70 and 8.x through 8.5.4, when the CGI Servlet is enabled, follows RFC 3875 section 4.1.18 and therefore does not protect applications from the presence of untrusted client data in the HTTP_PROXY environment variable, which might allow remote attackers to redirect an application's outbound HTTP traffic to an arbitrary proxy server via a crafted Proxy header in an HTTP request, aka an "httpoxy" issue. NOTE: the vendor states "A mitigation is planned for future releases of Tomcat, tracked as CVE-2016-5388"; in other words, this is not a CVE ID for a vulnerability.

CVE-2016-5388 Affected Apache Tomcat Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
7.0.728.5.5
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina
maven/org.apache.tomcat/tomcat-catalina
Maven
≥ 7.0.0
< 7.0.72
7.0.72
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina
maven/org.apache.tomcat/tomcat-catalina
Maven
≥ 8.0.0
< 8.5.5
8.5.5

References

NVD — CVE-2016-5388 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-5388
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/apache/tomcat/commit/1b91e91194a095ea922f96d1dccddf6fbc446e54
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/apache/tomcat/commit/880250877b0643956435282afb9c111450cfff4c
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/apache/tomcat/commit/fb3569fbb9a2f55459aa8e1e22bc35a737e66329
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2016:16... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016:1624
lists.apache.org/thread.html/6d3d34a... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/6d3d34adcf3dfc48e36342aa1f18ce3c20bb8e4c458a97508d5bfed1@%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r285358... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r2853582063cfd9e7fbae1e029ae004e6a83482ae9b70a698996353dd%40%3Cusers.tomcat.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r285358... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r2853582063cfd9e7fbae1e029ae004e6a83482ae9b70a698996353dd@%3Cusers.tomcat.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rc6b214... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rc6b2147532416cc736e68a32678d3947b7053c3085cf43a9874fd102%40%3Cusers.tomcat.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rc6b214... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rc6b2147532416cc736e68a32678d3947b7053c3085cf43a9874fd102@%3Cusers.tomcat.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf21b36... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf21b368769ae70de4dee840a3228721ae442f1d51ad8742003aefe39%40%3Cusers.tomcat.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf21b36... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf21b368769ae70de4dee840a3228721ae442f1d51ad8742003aefe39@%3Cusers.tomcat.apache.org%3E
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/08/msg00015.html
lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/20... WEB
https://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-09/msg00025.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2016-16... WEB
https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-1624.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2016-20... WEB
https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-2045.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2016-20... WEB
https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-2046.html
tomcat.apache.org/tomcat-7.0-doc/chan... WEB
https://tomcat.apache.org/tomcat-7.0-doc/changelog.html
Apache Tomcat Security Information SECURITY
https://www.apache.org/security/asf-httpoxy-response.txt
www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/797896 WEB
https://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/797896
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2016:16... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016:1635
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2016:16... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016:1636
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2016:20... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016:2045
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2016:20... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016:2046
Apache Tomcat Security Information SECURITY
https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-5388
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1353809
Apache Tomcat Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/tomcat
h20566.www2.hpe.com/hpsc/doc/public/dis... WEB
https://h20566.www2.hpe.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docLocale=en_US&docId=emr_na-hpesbhf03770en_us
h20566.www2.hpe.com/portal/site/hpsc/pu... WEB
https://h20566.www2.hpe.com/portal/site/hpsc/public/kb/docDisplay?docId=emr_na-c05320149
h20566.www2.hpe.com/portal/site/hpsc/pu... WEB
https://h20566.www2.hpe.com/portal/site/hpsc/public/kb/docDisplay?docId=emr_na-c05324759
h20566.www2.hpe.com/portal/site/hpsc/pu... WEB
https://h20566.www2.hpe.com/portal/site/hpsc/public/kb/docDisplay?docId=emr_na-c05390722
lists.apache.org/thread.html/053d9ce... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/053d9ce4d579b02203db18545fee5e33f35f2932885459b74d1e4272%40%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/053d9ce... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/053d9ce4d579b02203db18545fee5e33f35f2932885459b74d1e4272@%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/6b41481... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/6b414817c2b0bf351138911c8c922ec5dd577ebc0b9a7f42d705752d%40%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/6b41481... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/6b414817c2b0bf351138911c8c922ec5dd577ebc0b9a7f42d705752d@%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/6d3d34a... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/6d3d34adcf3dfc48e36342aa1f18ce3c20bb8e4c458a97508d5bfed1%40%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-5388?
CVE-2016-5388 is a security vulnerability in Apache Tomcat involving Improper Access Control in Apache Tomcat under CWE-284: Improper Access Control.
Which Apache Tomcat versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 7.0.72, 8.5.5 across affected packages: org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina.
What version fixes CVE-2016-5388?
Upgrading to 7.0.72, 8.5.5 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is tomcat-catalina affected?
Yes, org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina is affected in releases prior to 7.0.72, 8.5.5. Upgrade your dependency to 7.0.72, 8.5.5 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-5388?
CVE-2016-5388 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2016-5388?
CVE-2016-5388 is classified under CWE-284: Improper Access Control (The product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2016-5388?
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-v646-rx6w-r3qq",
  "modified" : "2024-02-22T19:57:05Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-13T01:23:38Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-5388" ],
  "summary" : "Improper Access Control in Apache Tomcat",
  "details" : "Apache Tomcat 7.x through 7.0.70 and 8.x through 8.5.4, when the CGI Servlet is enabled, follows RFC 3875 section 4.1.18 and therefore does not protect applications from the presence of untrusted client data in the HTTP_PROXY environment variable, which might allow remote attackers to redirect an application's outbound HTTP traffic to an arbitrary proxy server via a crafted Proxy header in an HTTP request, aka an \"httpoxy\" issue. NOTE: the vendor states \"A mitigation is planned for future releases of Tomcat, tracked as CVE-2016-5388\"; in other words, this is not a CVE ID for a vulnerability.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "7.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "7.0.72"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "8.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "8.5.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-5388"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/tomcat/commit/1b91e91194a095ea922f96d1dccddf6fbc446e54"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/tomcat/commit/880250877b0643956435282afb9c111450cfff4c"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/tomcat/commit/fb3569fbb9a2f55459aa8e1e22bc35a737e66329"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016:1624"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/6d3d34adcf3dfc48e36342aa1f18ce3c20bb8e4c458a97508d5bfed1@%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r2853582063cfd9e7fbae1e029ae004e6a83482ae9b70a698996353dd%40%3Cusers.tomcat.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r2853582063cfd9e7fbae1e029ae004e6a83482ae9b70a698996353dd@%3Cusers.tomcat.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rc6b2147532416cc736e68a32678d3947b7053c3085cf43a9874fd102%40%3Cusers.tomcat.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rc6b2147532416cc736e68a32678d3947b7053c3085cf43a9874fd102@%3Cusers.tomcat.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf21b368769ae70de4dee840a3228721ae442f1d51ad8742003aefe39%40%3Cusers.tomcat.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf21b368769ae70de4dee840a3228721ae442f1d51ad8742003aefe39@%3Cusers.tomcat.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/08/msg00015.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-09/msg00025.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-1624.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-2045.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-2046.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://tomcat.apache.org/tomcat-7.0-doc/changelog.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.apache.org/security/asf-httpoxy-response.txt"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/797896"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016:1635"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016:1636"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016:2045"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016:2046"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-5388"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1353809"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/tomcat"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://h20566.www2.hpe.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docLocale=en_US&docId=emr_na-hpesbhf03770en_us"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://h20566.www2.hpe.com/portal/site/hpsc/public/kb/docDisplay?docId=emr_na-c05320149"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://h20566.www2.hpe.com/portal/site/hpsc/public/kb/docDisplay?docId=emr_na-c05324759"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://h20566.www2.hpe.com/portal/site/hpsc/public/kb/docDisplay?docId=emr_na-c05390722"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/053d9ce4d579b02203db18545fee5e33f35f2932885459b74d1e4272%40%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/053d9ce4d579b02203db18545fee5e33f35f2932885459b74d1e4272@%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/6b414817c2b0bf351138911c8c922ec5dd577ebc0b9a7f42d705752d%40%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/6b414817c2b0bf351138911c8c922ec5dd577ebc0b9a7f42d705752d@%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/6d3d34adcf3dfc48e36342aa1f18ce3c20bb8e4c458a97508d5bfed1%40%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-284" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-07-06T19:44:02Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2016-07-19T02:00:00Z"
  }
}