Summary
Incomplete Cleanup vulnerability in Apache Tomcat.
When recycling various internal objects in Apache Tomcat from 11.0.0-M1 through 11.0.0-M11, from 10.1.0-M1 through 10.1.13, from 9.0.0-M1 through 9.0.80 and from 8.5.0 through 8.5.93, an error could cause Tomcat to skip some parts of the recycling process leading to information leaking from the current request/response to the next. Older, EOL versions may also be affected.
Users are recommended to upgrade to version 11.0.0-M12 onwards, 10.1.14 onwards, 9.0.81 onwards or 8.5.94 onwards, which fixes the issue.
Impact
CVE-2023-42795 has a CVSS score of 5.3 (Medium). 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 (9.0.81, 8.5.94, 11.0.0-M12, 10.1.14); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
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. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Remediation advice
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat to 9.0.81 or later; org.apache.tomcat:tomcat to 8.5.94 or later; org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core to 11.0.0-M12 or later; org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core to 10.1.14 or later; org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core to 9.0.81 or later; org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core to 8.5.94 or later; org.apache.tomcat:tomcat to 11.0.0-M12 or later; org.apache.tomcat:tomcat to 10.1.14 or later; org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina to 11.0.0-M12 or later; org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina to 10.1.14 or later; org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina to 9.0.81 or later; org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina to 8.5.94 or later; org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-util to 11.0.0-M12 or later; org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-util to 10.1.14 or later; org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-util to 9.0.81 or later; org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-util to 8.5.94 or later
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2023-42795? CVE-2023-42795 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in org.apache.tomcat:tomcat (maven), affecting versions >= 9.0.0-M1, < 9.0.81. It is fixed in 9.0.81, 8.5.94, 11.0.0-M12, 10.1.14.
- How severe is CVE-2023-42795? CVE-2023-42795 has a CVSS score of 5.3 (Medium). 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.
- Which packages are affected by CVE-2023-42795?
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat(maven) (versions >= 9.0.0-M1, < 9.0.81)org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core(maven) (versions >= 11.0.0-M1, < 11.0.0-M12)org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalina(maven) (versions >= 11.0.0-M1, < 11.0.0-M12)org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-util(maven) (versions >= 11.0.0-M1, < 11.0.0-M12)
- Is there a fix for CVE-2023-42795? Yes. CVE-2023-42795 is fixed in 9.0.81, 8.5.94, 11.0.0-M12, 10.1.14. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2023-42795 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-42795 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
- What actually determines whether CVE-2023-42795 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.
- How do I fix CVE-2023-42795?
- Upgrade
org.apache.tomcat:tomcatto 9.0.81 or later - Upgrade
org.apache.tomcat:tomcatto 8.5.94 or later - Upgrade
org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-coreto 11.0.0-M12 or later - Upgrade
org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-coreto 10.1.14 or later - Upgrade
org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-coreto 9.0.81 or later - Upgrade
org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-coreto 8.5.94 or later - Upgrade
org.apache.tomcat:tomcatto 11.0.0-M12 or later - Upgrade
org.apache.tomcat:tomcatto 10.1.14 or later - Upgrade
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalinato 11.0.0-M12 or later - Upgrade
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalinato 10.1.14 or later - Upgrade
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalinato 9.0.81 or later - Upgrade
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-catalinato 8.5.94 or later - Upgrade
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-utilto 11.0.0-M12 or later - Upgrade
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-utilto 10.1.14 or later - Upgrade
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-utilto 9.0.81 or later - Upgrade
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat-utilto 8.5.94 or later
- Upgrade