CVE-2005-2090: Apache Tomcat Tomcat Vulnerable To Web Cache Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-f2gq-p6qv-ccw4
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Advisory Summary

CVE-2005-2090 is a MODERATE tomcat vulnerable to web cache vulnerability (General Security Weakness) affecting Apache Tomcat libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves tomcat vulnerable to web cache poisoning. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2005-2090 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2005-2090
GHSA Identifier GHSA-f2gq-p6qv-ccw4
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification General Security Weakness
Affected Product Apache Tomcat
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2005-2090

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>
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-2005-2090, 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 General Security Weakness. 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

Jakarta Tomcat 5.0.19 (Coyote/1.1) and Tomcat 4.1.24 (Coyote/1.0) allows remote attackers to poison the web cache, bypass web application firewall protection, and conduct XSS attacks via an HTTP request with both a "Transfer-Encoding: chunked" header and a Content-Length header, which causes Tomcat to incorrectly handle and forward the body of the request in a way that causes the receiving server to process it as a separate HTTP request, aka "HTTP Request Smuggling."

CVE-2005-2090 Affected Apache Tomcat Versions

2 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat
maven/org.apache.tomcat/tomcat
Maven
≥ 5.0.0
≤ 5.0.19
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat
maven/org.apache.tomcat/tomcat
Maven
≥ 4.0.0
≤ 4.1.24

References

NVD — CVE-2005-2090 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2005-2090
lists.apache.org/thread.html/29dc6c2... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/29dc6c2b625789e70a9c4756b5a327e6547273ff8bde7e0327af48c5@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/3722040... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/37220405a377c0182d2afdbc36461c4783b2930fbeae3a17f1333113@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/39ae1f0... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/39ae1f0bd5867c15755a6f959b271ade1aea04ccdc3b2e639dcd903b@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/b84ad12... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/b84ad1258a89de5c9c853c7f2d3ad77e5b8b2930be9e132d5cef6b95@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/b8a1bf1... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/b8a1bf18155b552dcf9a928ba808cbadad84c236d85eab3033662cfb@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
Apache Tomcat Security Information SECURITY
https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A10499
lists.apache.org/thread.html/c62b0e3... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/c62b0e3a7bf23342352a5810c640a94b6db69957c5c19db507004d74@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r03c597... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r03c597a64de790ba42c167efacfa23300c3d6c9fe589ab87fe02859c@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r587e50... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r587e50b86c1a96ee301f751d50294072d142fd6dc08a8987ae9f3a9b@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rb71997... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rb71997f506c6cc8b530dd845c084995a9878098846c7b4eacfae8db3@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E
Apache Tomcat Security Information SECURITY
http://community.ca.com/blogs/casecurityresponseblog/archive/2009/01/23.aspx
docs.info.apple.com/article.html WEB
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306172
Apache Tomcat Security Information SECURITY
http://lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce//2007/Jul/msg00004.html
Apache Tomcat Security Information SECURITY
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2008-03/msg00001.html
Apache Tomcat Security Information SECURITY
http://lists.vmware.com/pipermail/security-announce/2008/000003.html
seclists.org/lists/bugtraq/2005/... WEB
http://seclists.org/lists/bugtraq/2005/Jun/0025.html
Apache Tomcat Security Information SECURITY
http://securitytracker.com/id?1014365
sunsolve.sun.com/search/document.do WEB
http://sunsolve.sun.com/search/document.do?assetkey=1-26-239312-1
Apache Tomcat Security Information SECURITY
http://support.avaya.com/elmodocs2/security/ASA-2007-206.htm
support.ca.com/irj/portal/anonymou... WEB
http://support.ca.com/irj/portal/anonymous/phpsupcontent?contentID=197540
Apache Tomcat Security Information SECURITY
http://tomcat.apache.org/security-4.html
Apache Tomcat Security Information SECURITY
http://tomcat.apache.org/security-5.html
Apache Tomcat Security Information SECURITY
http://tomcat.apache.org/security-6.html
Apache Tomcat Security Information SECURITY
http://www.fujitsu.com/global/support/software/security/products-f/interstage-200703e.html
www.redhat.com/support/errata/rhsa... WEB
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2007-0327.html
www.redhat.com/support/errata/rhsa... WEB
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2007-0360.html
www.redhat.com/support/errata/rhsa... WEB
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2008-0261.html
Apache Tomcat Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securiteam.com/securityreviews/5GP0220G0U.html
Apache Tomcat Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/485938/100/0/threaded
Apache Tomcat Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/500396/100/0/threaded
Apache Tomcat Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/500412/100/0/threaded
Apache Tomcat Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/13873
Apache Tomcat Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/25159

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2005-2090?
CVE-2005-2090 is a security vulnerability in Apache Tomcat involving Tomcat Vulnerable to Web Cache Poisoning under General Security Weakness.
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-2005-2090?
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-2005-2090?
CVE-2005-2090 is classified under General Security Weakness.
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2005-2090?
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-f2gq-p6qv-ccw4",
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  "published" : "2022-05-01T02:04:54Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2005-2090" ],
  "summary" : "Tomcat Vulnerable to Web Cache Poisoning",
  "details" : "Jakarta Tomcat 5.0.19 (Coyote/1.1) and Tomcat 4.1.24 (Coyote/1.0) allows remote attackers to poison the web cache, bypass web application firewall protection, and conduct XSS attacks via an HTTP request with both a \"Transfer-Encoding: chunked\" header and a Content-Length header, which causes Tomcat to incorrectly handle and forward the body of the request in a way that causes the receiving server to process it as a separate HTTP request, aka \"HTTP Request Smuggling.\"",
  "severity" : [ ],
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      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
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    },
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    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "4.1.24"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2005-2090"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/29dc6c2b625789e70a9c4756b5a327e6547273ff8bde7e0327af48c5@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
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  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/39ae1f0bd5867c15755a6f959b271ade1aea04ccdc3b2e639dcd903b@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/b84ad1258a89de5c9c853c7f2d3ad77e5b8b2930be9e132d5cef6b95@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/b8a1bf18155b552dcf9a928ba808cbadad84c236d85eab3033662cfb@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/c62b0e3a7bf23342352a5810c640a94b6db69957c5c19db507004d74@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r03c597a64de790ba42c167efacfa23300c3d6c9fe589ab87fe02859c@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r587e50b86c1a96ee301f751d50294072d142fd6dc08a8987ae9f3a9b@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rb71997f506c6cc8b530dd845c084995a9878098846c7b4eacfae8db3@%3Cdev.tomcat.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A10499"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://community.ca.com/blogs/casecurityresponseblog/archive/2009/01/23.aspx"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306172"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce//2007/Jul/msg00004.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2008-03/msg00001.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.vmware.com/pipermail/security-announce/2008/000003.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://seclists.org/lists/bugtraq/2005/Jun/0025.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://securitytracker.com/id?1014365"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://sunsolve.sun.com/search/document.do?assetkey=1-26-239312-1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://support.avaya.com/elmodocs2/security/ASA-2007-206.htm"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://support.ca.com/irj/portal/anonymous/phpsupcontent?contentID=197540"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://tomcat.apache.org/security-4.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://tomcat.apache.org/security-5.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://tomcat.apache.org/security-6.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.fujitsu.com/global/support/software/security/products-f/interstage-200703e.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2007-0327.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2007-0360.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2008-0261.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securiteam.com/securityreviews/5GP0220G0U.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/485938/100/0/threaded"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/500396/100/0/threaded"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/500412/100/0/threaded"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/13873"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/25159"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-09-18T23:42:52Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2005-07-05T04:00:00Z"
  }
}