CVE-2024-38286 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-770 (Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling) affecting Apache Tomcat versions from 7.0.92 through 11.0.0-M20, including some end-of-life versions. The vulnerability arises from insufficient controls on resource allocation during the TLS handshake process. Specifically, an attacker can repeatedly initiate TLS handshakes that cause the server to allocate memory resources without proper limits or throttling mechanisms. This can lead to an OutOfMemoryError, effectively causing a denial-of-service (DoS) condition by exhausting the server's memory resources. The flaw can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication or user interaction, making it accessible to any attacker with network access to the Tomcat server. The vulnerability affects all platforms running vulnerable Tomcat versions under certain configurations. Apache has addressed the issue in versions 11.0.0-M21, 10.1.25, and 9.0.90. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, but the high CVSS score (8.6) reflects the potential impact and ease of exploitation. The vulnerability threatens availability but does not impact confidentiality or integrity directly. The scope is broad given Tomcat's widespread use as a Java servlet container in web applications and enterprise environments.

For European organizations, the primary impact is service disruption due to denial-of-service attacks exploiting this vulnerability. Organizations running vulnerable Apache Tomcat versions in public-facing environments risk outages that can affect critical web applications, customer-facing portals, and internal services. This can lead to operational downtime, loss of business continuity, reputational damage, and potential regulatory scrutiny under frameworks like GDPR if service availability impacts data processing. Sectors such as finance, government, healthcare, and telecommunications, which heavily rely on Apache Tomcat for web services, are particularly vulnerable. The vulnerability could also be leveraged as part of a larger attack chain to distract or degrade defenses during more complex intrusions. Since the attack requires no authentication and can be performed remotely, threat actors can easily target exposed servers, increasing the likelihood of exploitation. The lack of known exploits in the wild currently provides a window for proactive mitigation before widespread attacks occur.

1. Upgrade Apache Tomcat to the fixed versions 11.0.0-M21, 10.1.25, or 9.0.90 as soon as possible to eliminate the vulnerability. 2. For environments where immediate patching is not feasible, implement network-level rate limiting on TLS handshake attempts to reduce the risk of resource exhaustion. 3. Monitor server memory usage and TLS handshake metrics to detect abnormal spikes indicative of exploitation attempts. 4. Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) or Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) capable of detecting and blocking anomalous TLS handshake patterns. 5. Review and harden TLS configuration to minimize unnecessary handshake overhead, such as disabling weak or unused cipher suites and protocols. 6. Isolate critical Tomcat servers behind secure network segments with strict access controls to limit exposure. 7. Maintain up-to-date incident response plans to quickly address potential DoS incidents. 8. Regularly audit and inventory Tomcat versions in use across the organization to ensure timely patch management.