CVE-2023-28708VulnerabilityPublished 22 Mar 2023Updated 4 Nov 2025

CVE-2023-28708: Apache Tomcat · Unprotected Transport of Credentials

Affects Apache TomcatSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.3 Medium.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

4.3Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 1.8% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 78% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: Required: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability requires a user to take some action before the vulnerability can be exploited.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 22 Mar 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 2026-10-25.

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 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

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Mavenorg.apache.tomcat/tomcat`pkg:maven/org.apache.tomcat/tomcat`Other threats	Affected =11.0.0-M1 =11.0.0-M2 =10.1.0-M1 <=10.1.5 =9.0.0-M1 <=9.0.71 >=8.5.0 <=8.5.85	Fixed in–

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

AI-suggested

1. Upgrade Apache Tomcat to the latest stable versions where this issue is fixed or patched. 2. Configure the reverse proxy to use HTTPS for communication with the Tomcat server, ensuring end-to-end encryption. 3. Verify that the 'secure' attribute is set on all session cookies when HTTPS is used, especially in reverse proxy scenarios. 4. Implement strict transport security headers (e.g., HTTP Strict Transport Security - HSTS) to enforce HTTPS usage on clients. 5. Audit and update RemoteIpFilter configurations to correctly recognize and handle forwarded HTTPS requests. 6. Monitor network traffic between reverse proxies and Tomcat servers for unencrypted HTTP sessions carrying sensitive cookies. 7. Consider additional session management controls such as short session lifetimes and multi-factor authentication to reduce the impact of potential session hijacking. 8. Review and update security policies to ensure secure cookie handling practices are enforced across all web applications.

Description

When using the RemoteIpFilter with requests received from a reverse proxy via HTTP that include the X-Forwarded-Proto header set to https, session cookies created by Apache Tomcat 11.0.0-M1 to 11.0.0.-M2, 10.1.0-M1 to 10.1.5, 9.0.0-M1 to 9.0.71 and 8.5.0 to 8.5.85 did not include the secure attribute. This could result in the user agent transmitting the session cookie over an insecure channel. Older, EOL versions may also be affected.

Impact

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk of session cookie exposure when using Apache Tomcat behind reverse proxies that forward HTTPS traffic as HTTP with the X-Forwarded-Proto header. This can lead to session hijacking, allowing attackers to impersonate legitimate users and access sensitive information or perform unauthorized actions. Sectors with high reliance on web applications—such as finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure—are particularly at risk. The impact is primarily on confidentiality, with no direct effect on system integrity or availability. Organizations with strict data protection requirements under GDPR must consider the potential for personal data exposure through session compromise. The vulnerability is more critical in environments where network traffic between the reverse proxy and Tomcat is not fully secured or monitored. However, the absence of known exploits and the medium CVSS score indicate a moderate risk level, especially if mitigations are promptly applied.

CWE-523Unprotected Transport of Credentials (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessOWASP Top 10 A04:2025: Cryptographic Failures (opens in a new tab)
Login pages do not use adequate measures to protect the user name and password while they are in transit from the client to the server.
Operation · System Configuration
Enforce SSL use for the login page or any page used to transmit user credentials or other sensitive information. Even if the entire site does not use SSL, it MUST use SSL for login. Additionally, to help prevent phishing attacks, make sure that SSL serves the login page.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Forgot Password (opens in a new tab)
Content Security Policy (opens in a new tab)
Transport Layer Protection (opens in a new tab)
User Privacy Protection (opens in a new tab)
Password Storage (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V2.7.4 (opens in a new tab)
V14.4.5 (opens in a new tab)
V2.8.5 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Session Sidejacking (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 5 Nov 2025, 16:09 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-523

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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