VulnerabilityPublished 20 Feb 2023Updated 3 Nov 2025

CVE-2023-24998: Apache Commons FileUpload · Unthrottled Resource Allocation

Affects Apache Commons FileUploadSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · 48% EPSS : upgrade to 1.5 when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

Severity

Medium

Rated Medium by the CNA (apache) · No CVSS score from NVD or the CNA

EPSS: 48.7% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 98% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 1.5

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 20 Feb 2023
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade org.apache.commons/commons-fileupload to 1.5.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Mavenorg.apache.commons/commons-fileupload`pkg:maven/org.apache.commons/commons-fileupload`Other threats	Affected <1.5	Fixed in 1.5

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

Upgrade to Apache Commons FileUpload version 1.5 or later, which includes a new configuration option (FileUploadBase#setFileCountMax) to limit the number of request parts processed. Note that this limit is not enabled by default and must be explicitly configured to be effective.

Description

Apache Commons FileUpload versions before 1.5 do not impose limits on the number of request parts processed, allowing an attacker to potentially trigger a denial-of-service (DoS) condition by sending malicious uploads or multiple uploads. The mitigation involves configuring the new FileUploadBase#setFileCountMax option introduced in version 1.5, which is not enabled by default.

Impact

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability to cause a denial-of-service condition by sending a malicious upload or a series of uploads with many parts, exhausting server resources. This can degrade or disrupt service availability for legitimate users.

Summary

CVE-2023-24998 is a resource allocation vulnerability in Apache Commons FileUpload prior to version 1.5. The library does not limit the number of request parts processed, which can be exploited by an attacker to cause a denial-of-service by overwhelming the system with numerous file upload parts. The vulnerability is addressed in version 1.5 by introducing a configurable limit (FileUploadBase#setFileCountMax) on the number of parts processed, but this limit must be explicitly enabled by users.

CWE-770Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighCWE Top 25 (2025): #25
The product allocates a reusable resource or group of resources on behalf of an actor without imposing any intended restrictions on the size or number of resources that can be allocated.
Requirements
Clearly specify the minimum and maximum expectations for capabilities, and dictate which behaviors are acceptable when resource allocation reaches limits.
Architecture and Design
Limit the amount of resources that are accessible to unprivileged users. Set per-user limits for resources. Allow the system administrator to define these limits. Be careful to avoid CWE-410.
Architecture and Design
Design throttling mechanisms into the system architecture. The best protection is to limit the amount of resources that an unauthorized user can cause to be expended.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Abuse Case (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V8.1.4 (opens in a new tab)
V13.4.1 (opens in a new tab)
V11.1.4 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
XML Ping of the Death (opens in a new tab)
Exponential Data Expansion (opens in a new tab)
Serialized Data Parameter Blowup (opens in a new tab)
Serialized Data with Nested Payloads (opens in a new tab)
Oversized Serialized Data Payloads (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 25 Oct 2026, 22:44 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-770

Technical details

References

Community reviews

Related threats