CVE-2026-68569 Apache Tomcat: Principal lookup can fail open in some cases
Attackers can bypass authentication in Apache Tomcat when using specific realms like DataSourceRealm with CLIENT-CERT or SPNEGO, allowing unauthorized access.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-68569?
CVE-2026-68569 is a high-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Apache Tomcat, published on 25 Aug 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
Improper Authentication vulnerability in Apache Tomcat meant that in some circumstances (e.g. CLIENT-CERT, SPNEGO) that a user would be authenticated even if the user did not exist in the DataSourceRealm.
This issue affects Apache Tomcat: from 11.0.0-M1 through 11.0.24, from 10.1.0-M1 through 10.1.57, from 9.0.0.M1 through 9.0.120.
The following versions were EOL at the time the CVE was created but are known to be affected: from 8.5.0 through 8.5.100, from 7.0.0 through 7.0.109. Other unsupported versions may also be affected.
Users are recommended to upgrade to version 11.0.25, 10.1.58 or 9.0.121, which fix the issue.
Weakness: CWE-287
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-68569?
1 open source package ship an affected version, including tomcat. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
tomcat Bitnami | All versions | 9.0.121, 10.1.58, 11.0.25 |
Products include Apache Tomcat.
How do I fix CVE-2026-68569?
Upgrade tomcat to a fixed version for your release line: 9.0.121, 10.1.58 or 11.0.25.
Upgrade, and rotate credentials and sessions that may have been exposed. More about Authentication bypass.
Is CVE-2026-68569 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-68569 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Apache Tomcat
Sources
Also known as BIT-tomcat-2026-68569, CLSA-2026-1792400805, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-68569, GHSA-5q6q-ffrq-6xfc, MINI-m737-8xww-xhpx, MINI-q3c5-q55p-fqgv and 2 more.