CVE-2007-3382 in Tomcat
Summary
by MITRE
Apache Tomcat 6.0.0 to 6.0.13, 5.5.0 to 5.5.24, 5.0.0 to 5.0.30, 4.1.0 to 4.1.36, and 3.3 to 3.3.2 treats single quotes (" ") as delimiters in cookies, which might cause sensitive information such as session IDs to be leaked and allow remote attackers to conduct session hijacking attacks.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/01/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-3382 represents a critical session management flaw in Apache Tomcat versions spanning multiple release lines from 3.3 through 6.0.13. This issue stems from the application server's improper handling of cookie data parsing, specifically treating single quotes as delimiters during cookie processing. The flaw exists in the core HTTP request parsing mechanism where Tomcat's cookie parser fails to properly sanitize cookie values that contain single quote characters, leading to malformed cookie data interpretation. This behavior creates a significant security risk by potentially fragmenting cookie values and exposing sensitive session identifiers to unauthorized parties.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs within the cookie parsing logic of the Tomcat server's HTTP connector component. When a client sends a cookie containing single quote characters, the server's cookie parser incorrectly interprets these characters as delimiters, effectively splitting the cookie value at those positions. This parsing error results in partial cookie data being processed while the remainder is discarded or misinterpreted, creating opportunities for session information leakage. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because session identifiers and other sensitive data stored in cookies become fragmented, with portions potentially accessible to attackers who can reconstruct or intercept the complete session information. This behavior aligns with CWE-20, which describes improper input handling, and specifically relates to CWE-287, concerning improper handling of authentication tokens.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to enable sophisticated session hijacking attacks. Attackers can exploit this flaw to capture fragmented session identifiers, potentially reconstructing complete session tokens from multiple partial cookie values. This capability allows unauthorized users to impersonate legitimate sessions and gain unauthorized access to protected resources. The vulnerability affects the fundamental authentication and session management mechanisms of the web application server, undermining the security model that relies on secure session handling. Network traffic analysis reveals that attackers can monitor cookie values in transit and leverage this parsing weakness to extract session information, particularly when cookies contain single quote characters in their values. The attack vector requires only passive monitoring of network traffic or active interception of HTTP requests, making it particularly dangerous in unencrypted environments.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2007-3382 should prioritize immediate version upgrades to patched releases of Apache Tomcat, specifically targeting versions 6.0.14, 5.5.25, 5.0.31, 4.1.37, and 3.3.3 or later, which contain the necessary fixes to properly handle cookie parsing. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management processes to ensure all affected Tomcat installations are updated promptly. Network administrators should consider deploying web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious cookie patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, security teams should review and modify application code to avoid placing sensitive information in cookies that might contain single quote characters, implementing alternative session management techniques such as server-side session storage with secure token generation. The remediation process should include thorough testing of patched environments to ensure that the cookie parsing fix does not introduce regressions in application functionality. Organizations should also implement monitoring solutions to detect unusual cookie parsing patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1566 for credential access through network infiltration.