CVE-2000-0759 in Tomcat
Summary
by MITRE
Jakarta Tomcat 3.1 under Apache reveals physical path information when a remote attacker requests a URL that does not exist, which generates an error message that includes the physical path.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/12/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2000-0759 represents a classic information disclosure flaw within the Jakarta Tomcat 3.1 web server implementation under Apache. This security weakness exposes the underlying file system structure of the server to remote attackers through malformed URL requests, creating a significant reconnaissance opportunity for malicious actors seeking to understand the target infrastructure. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the web server encounters a request for a non-existent URL, triggering an error response that inadvertently includes the physical file path where the application resides on the server's file system.
This technical flaw operates at the application level error handling mechanism, where the Tomcat 3.1 server fails to sanitize error messages before returning them to clients. The physical path disclosure occurs because the server's default error handling routine incorporates the complete file system path into the generated error page, which typically includes the directory structure where the web applications are deployed. This information can include the full absolute path to the server's document root, application directories, and potentially sensitive file locations that would otherwise remain hidden from external observers.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it provides attackers with critical infrastructure knowledge that can facilitate subsequent exploitation attempts. Security researchers and malicious actors can leverage the disclosed physical paths to construct more targeted attacks, including directory traversal exploits, file inclusion vulnerabilities, or to identify specific application components that may contain additional weaknesses. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-209, which specifically addresses improper error handling that reveals sensitive information, and can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1212 for Exploitation for Credential Access when combined with other reconnaissance activities.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including configuring custom error pages that do not expose system paths, updating to patched versions of Tomcat 3.1, and ensuring that error handling routines properly sanitize all output before transmission to clients. Network administrators should also consider implementing web application firewalls that can filter and monitor for suspicious error message patterns, while system administrators should conduct comprehensive audits of their server configurations to verify that no sensitive path information is exposed through error responses. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper error handling in web applications and underscores the need for security-conscious development practices that prevent information leakage through error conditions.