CVE-2008-1232 Apache Tomcat Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability

What is CVE-2008-1232?

CVE-2008-1232 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in Apache Tomcat, published on 4 Aug 2008. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

Official description

Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Apache Tomcat 4.1.0 through 4.1.37, 5.5.0 through 5.5.26, and 6.0.0 through 6.0.16 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted string that is used in the message argument to the HttpServletResponse.sendError method.

Weakness: CWE-79

Which versions are affected by CVE-2008-1232?

6 open source packages ship an affected version, including org.apache.tomcat:tomcat. It affects 1 product.

Products include Apache Tomcat.

How do I fix CVE-2008-1232?

Upgrade org.apache.tomcat:tomcat to a fixed version for your release line: 4.1.38, 5.5.27 or 6.0.17.

Escape output for the context it lands in and set a strict Content Security Policy. Upgrading the affected component is the real fix. More about Cross-site scripting.

Is CVE-2008-1232 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2008-1232 exists.

Public exploit code: 1 Exploit-DB entry.

Other vulnerabilities in Apache Tomcat

• CVE-2025-24813 Apache Tomcat Path Equivalence Exploited Critical 10.0
• CVE-2016-8735 Apache Tomcat Remote Code Execution Exploited Critical 9.8
• CVE-2017-12617 Apache Tomcat Remote Code Execution Exploited High 8.1
• CVE-2017-12615 Apache Tomcat on Windows Remote Code Execution Exploited High 8.1
• CVE-2026-34486 Apache Tomcat Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data Exploited High 7.5

All Apache Tomcat vulnerabilities

Sources

• CVE record
• NVD
• OSV
• GitHub advisory
• How this page is made

Also known as GHSA-q74x-qqhr-f8rx.