CVE & CISA-KEV Catalog

CVE-2023-42794

MEDIUMEPSS 77th pctl
5.9
CVSS v3
NVD

Description

Incomplete Cleanup vulnerability in Apache Tomcat. The internal fork of Commons FileUpload packaged with Apache Tomcat 9.0.70 through 9.0.80 and 8.5.85 through 8.5.93 included an unreleased, in progress refactoring that exposed a potential denial of service on Windows if a web application opened a stream for an uploaded file but failed to close the stream. The file would never be deleted from disk creating the possibility of an eventual denial of service due to the disk being full. Other, EOL versions may also be affected. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 9.0.81 onwards or 8.5.94 onwards, which fixes the issue.

How to fix

Remediation Available
tomcatRed Hat / RHEL
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-27.el8_9.2RHSA-2024:0125
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-27.el8_9.2RHSA-2024:0125
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-37.el9_3.1RHSA-2024:0474
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-37.el9_3.1RHSA-2024:0474
tomcatRocky
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-27.el8_9.2RHSA-2024:0125
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-27.el8_9.2RHSA-2024:0125
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-37.el9_3.1RHSA-2024:0474
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-37.el9_3.1RHSA-2024:0474
tomcat-admin-webappsRed Hat / RHEL
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-27.el8_9.2RHSA-2024:0125
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-37.el9_3.1RHSA-2024:0474
tomcat-admin-webappsRocky
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-27.el8_9.2RHSA-2024:0125
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-37.el9_3.1RHSA-2024:0474
tomcat-docs-webappRocky
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-27.el8_9.2RHSA-2024:0125
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-37.el9_3.1RHSA-2024:0474
tomcat-docs-webappRed Hat / RHEL
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-27.el8_9.2RHSA-2024:0125
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-37.el9_3.1RHSA-2024:0474
tomcat-el-3.0-apiRed Hat / RHEL
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-27.el8_9.2RHSA-2024:0125
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-37.el9_3.1RHSA-2024:0474
tomcat-el-3.0-apiRocky
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-27.el8_9.2RHSA-2024:0125
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-37.el9_3.1RHSA-2024:0474
tomcat-jsp-2.3-apiRocky
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-27.el8_9.2RHSA-2024:0125
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-37.el9_3.1RHSA-2024:0474
tomcat-jsp-2.3-apiRed Hat / RHEL
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-27.el8_9.2RHSA-2024:0125
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-37.el9_3.1RHSA-2024:0474
tomcat-libRed Hat / RHEL
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-27.el8_9.2RHSA-2024:0125
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-37.el9_3.1RHSA-2024:0474
tomcat-libRocky
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-27.el8_9.2RHSA-2024:0125
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-37.el9_3.1RHSA-2024:0474
tomcat-servlet-4.0-apiRocky
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-27.el8_9.2RHSA-2024:0125
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-37.el9_3.1RHSA-2024:0474
tomcat-servlet-4.0-apiRed Hat / RHEL
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-27.el8_9.2RHSA-2024:0125
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-37.el9_3.1RHSA-2024:0474
tomcat-webappsRed Hat / RHEL
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-27.el8_9.2RHSA-2024:0125
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-37.el9_3.1RHSA-2024:0474
tomcat-webappsRocky
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-27.el8_9.2RHSA-2024:0125
Fixed in:1:9.0.62-37.el9_3.1RHSA-2024:0474

TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works

Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.

CVSS v3 Vector

Exploitability

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityHigh
Privileges RequiredNone
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged

Impact

ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityHigh

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

Exploit Intelligence

1.85%probability of exploitation in 30 days
77thpercentile

Elevated risk: more likely to be exploited than 77% of all known CVEs.

References

Vendor Advisory1
Third-Party Advisory1

Related Vulnerabilities

Other CWE-459 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all

CVESeverityCVSSEPSSExploitedFix
CVE-2017-17090High7.582%-Fix
CVE-2021-39327Medium5.372%--
CVE-2025-31650High7.560%-Fix
CVE-2022-1552High8.812%-Fix
CVE-2018-18924High8.89.5%--
CVE-2022-21125Medium5.56.5%-Fix

Common questions

How do I fix CVE-2023-42794?

Published advisories record a fix for 16 affected products. The "How to fix" section on this page lists the fixed version and source advisory for each one, so apply the entry matching what you actually run.

Is CVE-2023-42794 being actively exploited?

Not that we know of. CVE-2023-42794 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 1.9% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 77% of all scored CVEs.

How severe is CVE-2023-42794?

CVE-2023-42794 has a CVSS v3 base score of 5.9, rated medium. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.

What does CVE-2023-42794 affect?

Published advisories record a fix for tomcat (Red Hat / RHEL), tomcat (Rocky), tomcat-admin-webapps (Red Hat / RHEL), tomcat-admin-webapps (Rocky), and 12 more. Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.

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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2025-10-29.