# CVE-2020-1938: Improper Privilege Management in Tomcat

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2020-1938-apache-tomcat-improper-privilege-management-vulnerability  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2020-06-15. Updated: 2026-05-10  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2020-1938 · Severity: critical · CVSS 3.1 · Exploited in the wild · Published 2020-06-15

Apache Tomcat's AJP Connector improperly manages privileges by treating AJP connections with higher trust than HTTP. An attacker can exploit this to read arbitrary files from the web application or process files as JSPs, potentially leading to remote code execution if file uploads are permitted.

Technologies: [Apache Tomcat](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/tomcat), [org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core (Maven)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/org-apache-tomcat-embed-tomcat-embed-core). Vendors: [Apache](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/apache), [Maven](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/maven).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2020-1938 exploited in the wild?** Yes. CVE-2020-1938 is known to be exploited in the wild, first recorded on 3 March 2022. Treat it as urgent.

**How severe is CVE-2020-1938?** Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 3.1, published 15 June 2020.

**Which products and versions are affected?** org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core (Maven) ECOSYSTEM:introduced=9.0.0,fixed=9.0.31.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2020-1938?** Yes. org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core (Maven): upgrade to 9.0.31 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2020-1938 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2020-1938?** Check whether you run Apache Tomcat or org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core (Maven) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core (Maven): upgrade to 9.0.31 or later

  ```sh
  # set org.apache.tomcat.embed:tomcat-embed-core to 9.0.31 in your pom.xml or build.gradle
  ```


## Affected products

- Apache Tomcat 9.0.0.M1 to 9.0.0.30
- Apache Tomcat 8.5.0 to 8.5.50
- Apache Tomcat 7.0.0 to 7.0.99

## Identifiers

- CVE-2020-1938
- GHSA-c9hw-wf7x-jp9j

## Timeline

- 2020-02-24: patched: Apache Tomcat 9.0.31, 8.5.51, and 7.0.100 released with fixes.
- 2022-03-03: disclosed: NVD publication date.

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