CVE-2024-52316: 
Java vulnerability analysis and mitigation

Unchecked Error Condition vulnerability (CVE-2024-52316) affects Apache Tomcat when configured to use a custom Jakarta Authentication (formerly JASPIC) ServerAuthContext component. The vulnerability was discovered in November 2024 and affects Apache Tomcat versions 11.0.0-M1 through 11.0.0-M26, 10.1.0-M1 through 10.1.30, and 9.0.0-M1 through 9.0.95 (Apache Advisory).

The vulnerability occurs when a custom Jakarta Authentication ServerAuthContext component throws an exception during the authentication process without explicitly setting an HTTP status to indicate failure. In such cases, the authentication process may not fail as expected, potentially allowing users to bypass the authentication mechanism. The vulnerability has been assigned a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with the vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (NVD Database).

Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to authentication bypass, potentially allowing unauthorized access to protected resources. The impact includes possible disclosure of sensitive information, addition or modification of data, or Denial of Service (DoS) (NetApp Advisory).

Users are recommended to upgrade to Apache Tomcat version 11.0.0, 10.1.31, or 9.0.96, which contain fixes for this vulnerability. These versions properly handle authentication failures when exceptions occur during the authentication process (Apache Advisory).