Threats / Apache / CVE-2017-12615
CVE-2017-12615
· EUVD no mirror located
· GCVE no mirror located
Verified 2026-08-04
Apache Tomcat vulnerability
Apache Tomcat on Windows with HTTP PUTs enabled allows remote code execution through JSP file upload via specially crafted requests.
Verdict
Today item, not a backlog item.
An unauthenticated attacker can upload malicious JSP files to a vulnerable Tomcat server and execute arbitrary code with server privileges. This vulnerability has been actively exploited in ransomware campaigns.
CISA KEV Yes · 2022-03-254Ransomware use Flagged4EPSS 0.99607 (verify live)5Exploit Weaponized · public PoC6CVSS 8.1 (CISA)3CISA SSVC Exploitation: active · Automatable: slow · Impact: total3
01
Is it exploitable?
— the evidence, ranked above the scoreExploit available
Fully weaponized — public exploit code is cataloged for this vulnerability.We link the existence of the exploit; we do not host or redistribute payloads.
Reported exploitation
174 independent public reports of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-03-25), flagged for known ransomware use.
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.99607 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
CVSS 8.1 (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) · Affected: Apache, Tomcat. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.CVSS — CISA-assigned via the ADP container (CVE.org), version 3.1; the CNA left no metrics, so CISA's own score is used ahead of NVD.
Weakness (CWE)
Mapped to CWE-434 Unrestricted File Upload — weakness family: Path traversal / file.CWE assignment from the public NVD record (may be stale); the weakness class drives how the flaw is exploited.
CISA SSVC (triage disposition)
Exploitation: active · Automatable: slow · Technical Impact: totalCISA's own stakeholder-specific triage inputs, published in the CVE record (CISA Coordinator role). NOTE: this is CISA's three decision points; the final Act/Attend/Track decision also requires a Mission & Well-being input not published here, so no overall decision is asserted.
Currency of the record
CISA added this to its KEV catalog 1648 days after the CVE record was published.KEV lag = CISA-KEV dateAdded − CVE.org datePublished; a floor on how long the known-exploited flaw sat in the public record before the federal catalog listed it. Severity/weakness here is CNA- or CISA-assigned (current at disclosure), independent of NVD's analysis backlog.
Public exploit available
Public exploit tooling is catalogued for this CVE (a public proof-of-concept / detection template). Catalog entries: nuclei template. We link the catalog page(s) only — no payload or code is hosted or restated here.Link, never host — the catalog page is the source; basicsecurity.net does not redistribute payloads.
02
Who’s exploiting it?
— attribution turns risk into urgencyAttribution not established
No confirmed (advisory-backed) threat-actor attribution is established for this record. Absence of a named actor is not absence of compromise — see Coverage & confidence.
03
Why it matters
— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board1
Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1
Attacker
I craft an HTTP PUT request targeting a JSP file path on the Tomcat server.
Business
The organization's web server becomes a direct attack vector for code execution.
2
Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2
Attacker
I upload a malicious JSP file that executes when accessed by any subsequent HTTP request.
Business
Attackers gain persistent remote code execution capability within the application environment.
3
Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3
Attacker
I request the uploaded JSP to trigger execution of embedded malicious code on the server.
Business
Ransomware or other payloads deploy across systems, leading to data encryption, exfiltration, or operational disruption.
04
What to do
— defensible action- Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
05