CVE-2020-13934

An h2c direct connection to Apache Tomcat 10.0.0-M1 to 10.0.0-M6, 9.0.0.M5 to 9.0.36 and 8.5.1 to 8.5.56 did not release the HTTP/1.1 processor after the upgrade to HTTP/2. If a sufficient number of such requests were made, an OutOfMemoryException could occur leading to a denial of service.

The application dereferences a null pointer, causing a crash. Typical impact: denial of service via crash.

CVE-2020-13934 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (10.0.0-M6, 9.0.36, 8.5.56); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

1. What is CVE-2020-13934? CVE-2020-13934 is a high-severity null pointer dereference vulnerability in org.apache.tomcat:tomcat (maven), affecting versions >= 10.0.0-M1, <= 10.0.0-M5. It is fixed in 10.0.0-M6, 9.0.36, 8.5.56. The application dereferences a null pointer, causing a crash.
2. How severe is CVE-2020-13934? CVE-2020-13934 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which packages are affected by CVE-2020-13934?
   • org.apache.tomcat:tomcat (maven) (versions >= 10.0.0-M1, <= 10.0.0-M5)
   • org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-coyote (maven) (versions >= 10.0.0-M1, <= 10.0.0-M5)
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2020-13934? Yes. CVE-2020-13934 is fixed in 10.0.0-M6, 9.0.36, 8.5.56. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2020-13934 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2020-13934 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2020-13934 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2020-13934?
   • Upgrade org.apache.tomcat:tomcat to 10.0.0-M6 or later
   • Upgrade org.apache.tomcat:tomcat to 9.0.36 or later
   • Upgrade org.apache.tomcat:tomcat to 8.5.56 or later
   • Upgrade org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-coyote to 10.0.0-M6 or later
   • Upgrade org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-coyote to 9.0.36 or later
   • Upgrade org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-coyote to 8.5.56 or later