ZDF
Sign inSign up

Vulnerabilities

Vulnerability · CVE-2016-1240

The Tomcat init script in the tomcat7 package before 7.0.56-3+deb8u4 and tomcat8 package before 8.0.14-1+deb8u3 on Debian jessie and the tomcat6 and libtomcat6-java pa…

Published Oct 3, 2016 · catalog updated Jun 17, 2026 · the affected product

Last checked Nov 8, 2026. A connected source was read within the last 7 days.

Check if you run it

No confirmed exploitation is on record for CVE-2016-1240. EPSS is 9.78%. Act only if a listed version of the affected product is installed.

Gaps on this record

  • No plain product name is stored. The page cannot tell you which product to check.
  • No vendor fix or required action is stored. Compare the linked advisory before you change production.

Same product and reporting

Severity
High7.8
Known exploitation
Not in CISA/VulnCheck KEV
EPSS
9.78%
Remediation
Advisory link
Affected products
cpe apache/tomcat

The Tomcat init script in the tomcat7 package before 7.0.56-3+deb8u4 and tomcat8 package before 8.0.14-1+deb8u3 on Debian jessie and the tomcat6 and libtomcat6-java packages before 6.0.35-1ubuntu3.8 on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, the tomcat7 and libtomcat7-java packages before 7.0.52-1ubuntu0.7 on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, and tomcat8 and libtomcat8-java packages before 8.0.32-1ubuntu1.2 on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS allows local users with access to the tomcat account to gain root privileges via a symlink attack on the Catalina log file, as demonstrated by /var/log/tomcat7/catalina.out.

Are you affected?

Enter the version you run. The result uses only the ranges stored on this record.

The check returns affected, not affected, or incomplete. It does not guess a version that is missing from the record.

  • cpe apache/tomcat6.0
  • cpe apache/tomcat7.0
  • cpe apache/tomcat8.0

How to fix CVE-2016-1240

What to do

Three questions, each answered from this record only. Confirm the vendor advisory before you patch.

Should you patch?

No confirmed exploitation is on record for CVE-2016-1240. EPSS is 9.78%. Act only if a listed version of the affected product is installed.

Which versions are affected?

Compare what you have installed with 6.0, 7.0, 8.0. Compare the installed version with the linked vendor advisory before you change production.

What should an analyst verify?

CWE-20: Improper Input Validation. EPSS 9.78%. There is no CISA KEV listing. A public exploit reference is linked in Sources. That is not the same as confirmed exploitation. Use the source links for the original advisory.

Technology hubs

Apache Tomcat security

Code

The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.

No public source repository is identified for this product.

Timeline

Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.

  1. Oct 3, 2016 · Monitored products — critical

    Detected

    The Tomcat init script in the tomcat7 package before 7.0.56-3+deb8u4 and tomcat8 package before 8.0.14-1+deb8u3 on Debian jessie and the tomcat6 and libtomcat6-java packages before 6.0.35-1ubuntu3.8 on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, the tomcat7 and libtomcat7-java packages before 7.0.52-1ubuntu0.7 on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, and tomcat8 and libtomcat8-java packages before 8.0.32-1ubuntu1.2 on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS allows

  2. Jun 17, 2026 · Monitored products — critical

    Updated

    The Tomcat init script in the tomcat7 package before 7.0.56-3+deb8u4 and tomcat8 package before 8.0.14-1+deb8u3 on Debian jessie and the tomcat6 and libtomcat6-java packages before 6.0.35-1ubuntu3.8 on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, the tomcat7 and libtomcat7-java packages before 7.0.52-1ubuntu0.7 on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, and tomcat8 and libtomcat8-java packages before 8.0.32-1ubuntu1.2 on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS allows

Sources

  • CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2016-1240

    Official CVE identifier

    cve.org
  • FIRST EPSSExploitation probabilityCVE-2016-1240

    30-day exploitation probability 9.78%

    first.org
  • Monitored products — criticalVendor advisoryCVE-2016-1240

    The Tomcat init script in the tomcat7 package before 7.0.56-3+deb8u4 and tomcat8 package before 8.0.14-1+deb8u3 on Debian jessie and the tomcat6 and libtomcat6-java packages before 6.0.35-1ubuntu3.8 on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, the tomcat7 and libtomcat7-java packages before 7.0.52-1ubuntu0.7 on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, and tomcat8 and libtomcat8-java packages before 8.0.32-1ubuntu1.2 on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS allows

    nvd.nist.gov
  • Metasploit ModulesPublic exploit moduleexploit_linux/local/tomcat_ubuntu_log_init_priv_esc

    Public module reference (manual). Module source is not copied into this catalog.

    rapid7.com
  • Packet Storm SecurityCited referencehttp://packetstormsecurity.com/files/170857/Apache-Tomcat-On-Ubuntu-Log-Init-Privilege-Escalation.html

    Packet Storm link already published on the finding.

    packetstormsecurity.com

References

Freshness

Last verified in this catalog Nov 6, 2026. Significant claims (KEV, EPSS, CVSS, affected ranges) come from the source rows above — open the original publisher for the authoritative advisory.

  • Packet Storm SecurityNov 8, 2026
  • Metasploit ModulesNov 7, 2026
  • FIRST EPSSNov 6, 2026
  • CVE.orgNov 4, 2026
  • Monitored products — criticalNov 3, 2026