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Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 15 Apr 2022.
ArchivaApplication · Apache

CVE-2013-2251

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2013-07-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.3.8 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild High EPSS Public exploit Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Apache Struts 2.0.0 through 2.3.15 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary OGNL expressions via a parameter with a crafted (1) action:, (2) redirect:, or (3) redirectAction: prefix.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Apache Struts 2 versions 2.0.0 through 2.3.15 contains a remote code execution vulnerability where attackers can inject arbitrary OGNL expressions via HTTP parameters using action:, redirect:, or redirectAction: prefixes. This allows complete remote compromise of the affected server.

MitigationUpgrade Apache Struts to version 2.3.16 or later, or apply vendor-provided patches. If immediate patching is not possible, implement web application firewall rules to filter or block parameters containing these OGNL injection prefixes.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
ArchivaApplication
Affected:>= 1.3, < 1.3.8= 1.2= 1.2.2
StrutsFramework / library
Affected:>= 2.0.0, <= 2.3.15
Interstage Business Process Manager AnalyticsApplication
Affected:= 12.0= 12.1
Siebel Apps E BillingApplication
Affected:= 6.1= 6.1.1= 6.2

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Struts 2 installation and version
    Locate the struts2-core.jar file in your application (typically in WEB-INF/lib directory). Check the filename for the version (e.g., struts2-core-2.3.14.jar). If using a build tool, check your dependency manifest (pom.xml, build.gradle) for the struts2-core version declaration.
    Affected if The installed struts2-core version is between 2.0.0 and 2.3.15 inclusive.
  2. Check for Struts 2 in deployed web applications
    Examine the WEB-INF/lib folder of any deployed web applications for struts2-core.jar. Also check web.xml for StrutsPrepareAndExecuteFilter or FilterDispatcher filter definitions that indicate Struts 2 usage.
    Affected if Any web application contains struts2-core.jar between versions 2.0.0 and 2.3.15, or has Struts 2 filters configured in web.xml.
  3. Verify vulnerable parameter handling is in use
    Review struts.xml configuration file (typically in WEB-INF/classes) for action mappings that use the DefaultActionMapper. The vulnerability affects any action that accepts parameters via URL query strings or form inputs, particularly those using redirect:, redirectAction:, or action: prefixes.
    Affected if The application processes URL parameters through Struts 2's parameter interceptor, which is enabled by default in most Struts 2 configurations.
  4. Inspect HTTP access logs for exploitation attempts
    Review web server (Apache, Nginx, IIS) and application server logs for patterns such as 'redirect:', 'action:', 'redirectAction:' followed by OGNL expressions like '${' or '%{'. Search for common payload strings like '%23', '${', or '(',@', in request parameters.
    Affected if Log analysis reveals requests containing the prefixes 'action:', 'redirect:', or 'redirectAction:' combined with OGNL injection patterns, indicating possible exploitation attempts.
  5. Check for unauthorized command execution artifacts
    Examine server filesystem for unexpected files in temporary directories (temp, tmp), unusual scheduled tasks, or new user accounts. Review process listings for unknown running processes. Look in web application directories for newly created JSP or script files.
    Affected if Any unexpected files, processes, or system changes are found that correlate with the timeframe of potential exploitation, indicating successful RCE.

You are affected if any deployed web application uses Apache Struts 2 with a struts2-core library version between 2.0.0 and 2.3.15, regardless of configuration, as the vulnerable parameter handling is enabled by default.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.3.8 or later
Fixed in 1.3.8
Vendor patch struts.apache.org →
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Apache Struts to version 2.3.16 or later, or apply vendor-provided patches. If immediate patching is not possible, implement web application firewall rules to filter or block parameters containing these OGNL injection prefixes.

Recommended fix High confidence

Struts 2.3.15.1 or later (latest 2.3.x stable); Archiva 1.3.8 or later

  1. 1. Identify all applications and components using Apache Struts 2 versions 2.0.0 through 2.3.15
  2. 2. For standalone Struts deployments: Upgrade to Struts 2.3.15.1 or later (recommended: latest 2.3.x stable release)
  3. 3. For Apache Archiva: Upgrade to version 1.3.8 or later which includes the fixed Struts version
  4. 4. For Interstage Business Process Manager Analytics: Contact Fujitsu for vendor-specific patch or upgrade path
  5. 5. For Siebel Apps E Billing: Contact Oracle for vendor-specific patch or upgrade path
  6. 6. After upgrading, verify the application functions correctly and test for the vulnerability using a parameter like '?redirectAction:%{1+1}' to confirm it does not execute OGNL expressions
  7. 7. Ensure proper testing in a staging environment before deploying to production
Caveat Minor: Upgrading within the 2.3.x branch should have minimal breaking changes, but test thoroughly as OGNL expression handling may have tightened

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Archiva Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
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  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
44.0 hours of engineering $7,720
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2013-2251 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data