The Windows installer for Apache Tomcat 6.0.0 through 6.0.20, 5.5.0 through 5.5.28, and possibly earlier versions uses a blank default password for the administrative user, which allows remote attackers to gain privileges.
CVE-2009-3548
This CVE was only ever scored under CVSS v2.0. NVD CVSS v2.0 base 7.5 — v2 rates that HIGH (v2 bands: LOW 0.0–3.9 / MEDIUM 4.0–6.9 / HIGH 7.0–10.0; v2 has no CRITICAL band). Vector AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P. CVSS v2 is an older, coarser metric than v3.1/v4.0 (no Scope, no User Interaction, no Attack Requirements), so it is not directly comparable to a v3 or v4 score. NVD has never re-scored this record under v3. EPSS predicts 79.0% exploitation probability in the next 30 days, which is reflected in EG Risk but does not lift the v2 base. Confidence: LOW.
- 297 internet-exposed hosts are running an affected version right now
- High exploitation likelihood — EPSS 79%
- Public exploit code is available (Metasploit, Exploit-DB (verified), epss top5pct, epss high, public exploit)
No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.
297 internet-exposed hosts are running an affected version of CVE-2009-3548 right now.
EchelonGraph is the only CVE feed that fuses live vulnerability intelligence with its own live internet-exposure radar — so you see not just that a CVE is exploited, but how much of the internet is exposed to it right now.
- CVSS v2.0 (legacy)
- 7.5HIGHNVD never assigned a CVSS v3 rating to this CVE
- EG Score
- 7.5(low)
- EG Risk
- 70(Track)EG Risk 70/100SSVC: Track
EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).
How it’s computedSeverity75% × 45%Exploitation79% × 40%Automatability30% × 15%Action: Routine — remediate on your standard cadence. - EPSS PROB
- 79%
- EPSS %ILE
- 100%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
November 12, 2009
Last Modified
April 23, 2026
References (52)
- secalert@redhathttp://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=c02241113
- secalert@redhathttp://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=127420533226623&w=2
- secalert@redhathttp://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=133469267822771&w=2
- secalert@redhathttp://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=136485229118404&w=2
- secalert@redhathttp://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=139344343412337&w=2
- secalert@redhathttp://markmail.org/thread/wfu4nff5chvkb6xp
- secalert@redhathttp://secunia.com/advisories/40330
- secalert@redhathttp://secunia.com/advisories/57126
- secalert@redhathttp://tomcat.apache.org/security-5.html
- secalert@redhathttp://tomcat.apache.org/security-6.html
- secalert@redhathttp://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/507720/100/0/threaded
- secalert@redhathttp://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/516397/100/0/threaded
- secalert@redhathttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/36954
- secalert@redhathttp://www.securitytracker.com/id?1023146
- secalert@redhathttp://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2011-0003.html
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 1× in last 7d / 5× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.
- 2026-08-25 13:43 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-19 16:58 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-15 01:24 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-08 16:31 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-30 01:26 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-26 13:39 UTCEG score recompute▲ 7.50
- 2026-07-25 14:12 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-24 14:12 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-23 01:00 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-07-23 00:37 UTCEG score recompute▼ 8.00
- 2026-07-23 00:04 UTCEG score recompute▲ 8.00
- 2026-07-22 21:43 UTCEG score recompute▼ 9.00
- 2026-07-22 14:03 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-21 15:20 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-20 17:03 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-20 17:03 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-16 16:58 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-15 16:54 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-15 16:54 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-09 19:04 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-06 02:19 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-06 02:19 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-30 23:19 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-28 14:03 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-28 04:52 UTCEPSS rescore
Show 39 moreShow fewer
- 2026-06-28 04:52 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-25 13:46 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-25 13:46 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-24 14:02 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-24 14:02 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-23 21:29 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-23 21:29 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-18 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-18 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-16 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-16 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-15 17:44 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-13 22:57 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-12 23:08 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-12 23:08 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-10 22:14 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-10 13:17 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-08 14:13 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-05 22:44 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-05 22:44 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-05 06:07 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-01 13:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-01 13:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-31 22:28 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-31 22:28 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-30 14:37 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-05-30 14:37 UTCGHSA enrichment
- 2026-05-29 13:40 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-27 13:38 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-27 13:38 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-24 16:43 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-22 21:15 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-22 21:15 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-20 22:37 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-20 22:37 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-18 21:29 UTCEPSS rescore
Publicly available exploits
(5 references)Working exploit code is in the public domain (3 Metasploit modules) (2 Exploit-DB entries). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.
- Exploit-DBEDB-31433✓ verifiedFirst seen Feb 5, 2014
Apache Tomcat Manager - Application Upload (Authenticated) Code Execution (Metasploit)
Open source ↗ - Exploit-DBEDB-16317✓ verifiedFirst seen Dec 14, 2010
Apache Tomcat Manager - Application Deployer (Authenticated) Code Execution (Metasploit)
Open source ↗ - Metasploitexploit/multi/http/tomcat_mgr_upload✓ verifiedFirst seen Nov 9, 2009
Apache Tomcat Manager Authenticated Upload Code Execution
Open source ↗ - Metasploitexploit/multi/http/tomcat_mgr_deploy✓ verifiedFirst seen Nov 9, 2009
Apache Tomcat Manager Application Deployer Authenticated Code Execution
Open source ↗ - Metasploitauxiliary/scanner/http/tomcat_mgr_login✓ verifiedFirst seen Jan 1, 2009
Tomcat Application Manager Login Utility
Open source ↗
Frequently asked(4)
What is CVE-2009-3548?
When was CVE-2009-3548 disclosed?
Is CVE-2009-3548 actively exploited?
How do I remediate CVE-2009-3548?
Dependency Blast Radius
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