Insufficient Documentation in Apache Tomcat

Executive Summary

CVE-2026-59084 is an Insufficient Technical Documentation vulnerability in Apache Tomcat. The issue specifically involves the EncryptInterceptor component, where the requirements for securely configuring it were not clearly documented. This lack of documentation could lead to misconfigurations, potentially exposing systems to security risks.

The vulnerability affects multiple versions of Apache Tomcat, including 11.0.0-M1 through 11.0.23, 10.1.0-M1 through 10.1.56, 9.0.13 through 9.0.119, 8.5.38 through 8.5.100, and 7.0.100 through 7.0.109. Other versions that have reached end of support may also be affected.

• The vulnerability is classified as low severity.
• Users are recommended to upgrade to fixed versions: 11.0.24, 10.1.57, or 9.0.120.

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Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is related to insufficient technical documentation for securely configuring the EncryptInterceptor in Apache Tomcat. Since it is a documentation issue rather than a direct code vulnerability, it cannot be detected through traditional scanning or command-based methods.

To determine if your system is affected, you should check the version of Apache Tomcat running on your system. The affected versions are 11.0.0-M1 through 11.0.23, 10.1.0-M1 through 10.1.56, 9.0.13 through 9.0.119, 8.5.38 through 8.5.100, and 7.0.100 through 7.0.109.

• For Linux systems, you can check the Tomcat version by running: catalina.sh version or by checking the version.sh script in the Tomcat bin directory.
• For Windows systems, you can check the Tomcat version by running: version.bat in the Tomcat bin directory.

Additionally, review your Tomcat configuration files (e.g., server.xml) to verify if the EncryptInterceptor is configured. However, due to the nature of this vulnerability, the absence of clear documentation may make it difficult to confirm secure configuration without manual inspection.

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Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can impact you by increasing the risk of misconfiguring the EncryptInterceptor in Apache Tomcat. Since the documentation did not clearly outline the secure configuration requirements, administrators or developers might deploy the EncryptInterceptor in an insecure manner.

A misconfigured EncryptInterceptor could lead to inadequate protection of sensitive data, such as credentials or session information, transmitted or stored by the application. This may expose the system to unauthorized access, data leaks, or other security incidents.

• The impact is considered low severity, but it still poses a risk if the EncryptInterceptor is used in critical environments.

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Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could indirectly affect compliance with standards and regulations like GDPR or HIPAA, depending on how the EncryptInterceptor is used in your environment.

GDPR requires the protection of personal data through appropriate technical measures. If the EncryptInterceptor is misconfigured due to insufficient documentation, it could lead to inadequate encryption of personal data, potentially violating GDPR requirements.

HIPAA mandates the protection of electronic protected health information (ePHI). If the EncryptInterceptor is used to secure ePHI and is misconfigured, it could result in non-compliance with HIPAA's security rules, which require encryption of data in transit or at rest.

• While the vulnerability itself is low severity, failure to address it could lead to compliance violations if the EncryptInterceptor is part of a system handling regulated data.

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Mitigation Strategies

The primary mitigation for this vulnerability is to upgrade Apache Tomcat to a fixed version.

• Upgrade to Apache Tomcat version 11.0.24, 10.1.57, or 9.0.120, as these versions address the insufficient documentation issue.

If upgrading is not immediately possible, ensure that the EncryptInterceptor is configured securely by following best practices and consulting updated documentation once it becomes available. However, this may be challenging due to the current lack of clear guidance.

Monitor official Apache Tomcat resources and security advisories for any updates or additional guidance on securely configuring the EncryptInterceptor.

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