CVE-2016-8735: Apache Tomcat Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
- Is it exploited?
Yes. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 12 May 2023, 2,227 days after the CVE record was published.
- How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?
- 90.3%
EPSS score, percentile 99.8 of all scored records
- How severe?
- 9.8 Critical
CVSS v3.1 base score, from CISA's enrichment of the record
- What should I do?
CISA deadline 2 Jun 2023. Apply updates per vendor instructions.
- Which versions are affected?
Affected
- before 6.0.48
- 7.x before 7.0.73
- 8.x before 8.0.39
- 8.5.x before 8.5.7
- 9.x before 9.0.0.M12
Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
What to do
Required action, set by CISA
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
CISA due date for this action: 2 June 2023.
Advisories and patches
Linked from CISA's catalog entry
Affected products and versions
As listed in the CVE record.
| Status | Versions |
|---|---|
| Affected | before 6.0.48 |
| Affected | 7.x before 7.0.73 |
| Affected | 8.x before 8.0.39 |
| Affected | 8.5.x before 8.5.7 |
| Affected | 9.x before 9.0.0.M12 |
Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
About this vulnerability
Apache Tomcat contains an unspecified vulnerability that allows for remote code execution if JmxRemoteLifecycleListener is used and an attacker can reach Java Management Extension (JMX) ports. This CVE exists because this listener wasn't updated for consistency with the Oracle patched issues for CVE-2016-3427 which affected credential types.
Summary: CISA's KEV catalog, as of 28 Oct 2026.
- CISA added CVE-2016-8735 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 12 May 2023.
- CISA's ransomware flag for this entry is "Unknown": no evidence of ransomware use in the catalog, which is not proof of none.
- The due date CISA sets for the required action is 2 Jun 2023.
- The CVE record was published on 6 Apr 2017, 2,227 days before it was added to KEV.
- The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (Critical), taken from CISA's enrichment of the record.
- FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 90.3% (percentile 99.8), as of 28 Oct 2026.
- CISA's SSVC assessment in the CVE record: exploitation active, automatable yes, technical impact total.
Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
Description
Remote code execution is possible with Apache Tomcat before 6.0.48, 7.x before 7.0.73, 8.x before 8.0.39, 8.5.x before 8.5.7, and 9.x before 9.0.0.M12 if JmxRemoteLifecycleListener is used and an attacker can reach JMX ports. The issue exists because this listener wasn't updated for consistency with the CVE-2016-3427 Oracle patch that affected credential types.
Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
Weakness
CWE and CAPEC are maintained by MITRE; the entries are those named in the CVE record and the KEV entry.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 6 Apr 2017 | CVE record published |
| 12 May 2023 | Added to CISA KEV |
| 2 Jun 2023 | CISA due date for the required action |
| 21 Oct 2025 | CVE record last updated |
References
24 more in the CVE record.
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