Overview
In the continuously shifting landscape of cybersecurity, vulnerabilities can emerge from even the most unsuspected areas. CVE-2025-49124 is a clear example of such a situation. This vulnerability affects Apache Tomcat, a widely used open source implementation of the Java Servlet, JavaServer Pages, Java Expression Language, and Java WebSocket technologies. The issue lies within the Apache Tomcat installer for Windows. During the installation process, the installer uses icacls.exe without specifying a full path. This behavior leads to an untrusted search path vulnerability, potentially allowing an attacker to escalate their privileges and compromise the system or leak data.
Given the widespread use of Apache Tomcat and its critical role in many web applications, this vulnerability could potentially impact a wide range of users and organizations. It is, therefore, of utmost importance to understand the implications of this vulnerability and how to mitigate it.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-49124
Severity: High (8.4 CVSS Severity Score)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Apache Tomcat | 11.0.0-M1 through 11.0.7
Apache Tomcat | 10.1.0 through 10.1.41
Apache Tomcat | 9.0.23 through 9.0.105
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability stems from the Apache Tomcat installer for Windows using icacls.exe without specifying a full path. This leads to an untrusted search path vulnerability, where the system might execute a malicious binary placed by an attacker in the search path. The attacker could potentially exploit this to elevate privileges, compromising the system or leading to data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
While no specific exploit code is currently known for this vulnerability, an attacker could potentially exploit this vulnerability using a similar approach to the following:
REM Place a malicious binary named icacls.exe in a location in PATH
echo "malicious code" > C:\some\path\in\PATH\icacls.exe
REM Trigger the Apache Tomcat installation process
start /wait C:\path\to\apache-tomcat-installer.exeIn this scenario, when the Apache Tomcat installer attempts to execute icacls.exe, it could inadvertently execute the malicious binary placed by the attacker, leading to potential system compromise or data leakage.