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ContinuumApplication · Apache

CVE-2016-15057

CRITICAL · 9.9 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-01-26
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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
** UNSUPPORTED WHEN ASSIGNED ** Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection') vulnerability in Apache Continuum. This issue affects Apache Continuum: all versions. Attackers with access to the installations REST API can use this to invoke arbitrary commands on the server. As this project is retired, we do not plan to release a version that fixes this issue. Users are recommended to find an alternative or restrict access to the instance to trusted users. NOTE: This vulnerability only affects products that are no longer supported by the maintainer.

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

Command injection vulnerability in Apache Continuum's REST API allows attackers with API access to execute arbitrary commands on the server with the privileges of theContinuum service account, achieving full remote code execution.

MitigationSince no upstream fix is available, immediately restrict network access to the Continuum instance to trusted users only, or migrate to an alternative solution as the primary remediation path.

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
ContinuumApplication
Affected:all versions

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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 if Apache Continuum is installed
    Search for the Continuum installation directory, typically under /opt/continuum, /usr/share/continuum, or the application server webapp directory. Check running processes for 'continuum' or the Java application serving it.
    Affected if Apache Continuum is found running or installed on the system
  2. Confirm the REST API endpoint is accessible
    Probe common Continuum REST API paths such as /continuum/rest/api/1.0/ or /api/1.0/ on the server. Use curl or a browser to send an HTTP GET request and verify a response is received.
    Affected if The REST API endpoint returns HTTP 200 or any valid response, indicating the API is exposed
  3. Determine if the REST API allows unauthenticated or authenticated access
    Review the Continuum configuration files (web.xml, security-config.xml, or continuum.xml) to check authentication settings for the REST API endpoints. Identify whether API access requires valid credentials or is publicly accessible.
    Affected if The REST API is accessible without authentication OR with valid user credentials (since any compromised API user can exploit this)
  4. Assess network exposure of the Continuum service
    Check firewall rules, reverse proxy configuration, or network ACLs to determine if the Continuum web interface and REST API are reachable from untrusted networks. Verify listening ports (default 8080 or 443).
    Affected if The Continuum service is reachable from networks beyond trusted administrators

If Apache Continuum is running with its REST API accessible from any network beyond trusted administrators, the environment is affected by CVE-2016-15057 and vulnerable to remote command execution.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Since no upstream fix is available, immediately restrict network access to the Continuum instance to trusted users only, or migrate to an alternative solution as the primary remediation path.

Fix this in Continuum Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation24.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
48.0 hours of engineering $8,400
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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-2016-15057 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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