VulnerabilityPublished 16 Jun 2025Updated 3 Nov 2025

CVE-2025-48976: Apache Commons FileUpload · Allocation of Resources with Insufficient Limits

Affects Apache Commons FileUploadSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · 32% EPSS · CVSS 7.5 High : upgrade to 2.0.0-M4 or 1.6 soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 10:12 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.5High

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

EPSS: 32.8% 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 2.0.0-M4, 1.6

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

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

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: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
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: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: High: There is total loss of availability, resulting in the attacker being able to fully deny access to resources in the impacted component; this loss is either sustained (while the attacker continues to deliver the attack) or persistent (the condition persists even after the attack has completed). Alternatively, the attacker has the ability to deny some availability, but the loss of availability presents a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component (e.g., the attacker cannot disrupt existing connections, but can prevent new connections; the attacker can repeatedly exploit a vulnerability that, in each instance of a successful attack, leaks a only small amount of memory, but after repeated exploitation causes a service to become completely unavailable).

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 16 Jun 2025
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 2.0.0-M4 or 1.6.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Mavenorg.apache.commons/commons-fileupload`pkg:maven/org.apache.commons/commons-fileupload`Other threats	Affected <1.6 >=2.0.0-M1 <2.0.0-M4	Fixed in 1.6 2.0.0-M4

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

AI-suggested

Upgrade Apache Commons FileUpload to version 1.6 or 2.0.0-M4 or later immediately to apply the official fix.
Implement strict limits on multipart header sizes and total request sizes at the application or web server level to prevent resource exhaustion.
Deploy web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules to detect and block abnormal multipart/form-data requests indicative of DoS attempts.
Monitor application and server resource usage closely for spikes that may indicate exploitation attempts.
Conduct regular vulnerability scans and dependency checks to identify usage of vulnerable library versions.
For legacy systems where immediate upgrade is not feasible, consider isolating vulnerable services behind network controls and rate limiting to reduce exposure.
Educate development teams on secure file upload handling and resource management best practices to prevent similar issues in future software.
Maintain incident response plans that include detection and mitigation strategies for DoS attacks targeting web application components.

Description

A denial of service (DoS) vulnerability exists in Apache Commons FileUpload due to allocation of resources for multipart headers with insufficient limits. This affects Apache Commons FileUpload versions from 1.0 before 1.6 and from 2.0.0-M1 before 2.0.0-M4. Users are advised to upgrade to versions 1.6 or 2.0.0-M4 to remediate the issue. The vulnerability impacts various Tomcat6 versions that include affected Apache Commons FileUpload versions. The vulnerability allows an attacker to cause a denial of service by exhausting resources during multipart header processing.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2025-48976 is denial of service, which can disrupt business operations by making web applications unavailable. For European organizations, this can lead to significant operational downtime, especially for critical services relying on Java-based web applications that use Apache Commons FileUpload. Public sector entities, financial institutions, and large enterprises with high availability requirements are particularly vulnerable. The lack of confidentiality or integrity impact means data breaches are unlikely, but service outages can cause reputational damage, regulatory scrutiny, and financial losses. Given the remote, unauthenticated nature of the exploit, attackers can target exposed web applications at scale, potentially causing widespread disruption. The vulnerability could also be leveraged as part of a larger attack chain to distract or exhaust resources while other attacks are conducted. Organizations in Europe with extensive Java application deployments must assess their exposure and prioritize remediation to maintain service continuity.

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

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 4 Nov 2025, 01:31 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-770

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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