StrutsFramework / library · Apache
CVE-2016-4433
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 · uneditedApache Struts 2 2.3.20 through 2.3.28.1 allows remote attackers to bypass intended access restrictions and conduct redirection attacks via a crafted request.
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 confidenceApache Struts 2 versions 2.3.20 through 2.3.28.1 contain a vulnerability that allows remote attackers to bypass intended access restrictions and conduct redirection attacks via a crafted request. The vulnerability stems from improper validation of user-supplied input in the Struts framework's redirection handling logic.
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
StrutsFramework / library
= 2.3.20= 2.3.20.1= 2.3.20.3= 2.3.24= 2.3.24.1= 2.3.24.3= 2.3.28CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the installed Struts 2 versionLocate the struts2-core.jar file in your application's WEB-INF/lib directory and check the filename version, or inspect the pom.xml/build.gradle for the struts2-core dependency version, or view the META-INF/MANIFEST.MF inside the struts2-core.jarAffected if The version is 2.3.20, 2.3.20.1, 2.3.20.3, 2.3.24, 2.3.24.1, 2.3.24.3, or any version from 2.3.21 through 2.3.28.1 (the vulnerable range)
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Review Struts configuration for redirect resultsExamine your struts.xml or struts-default.xml files and search for <result type="redirect"> or <result type="redirectAction"> definitions, especially those using dynamic parametersAffected if The application uses redirect or redirectAction result types that accept user-controlled parameters
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Check for unvalidated redirect parameters in actionsSearch your Struts action classes and struts.xml for parameters named 'redirect', 'redirectUrl', 'url', or similar that are passed to redirect results without input validation or whitelistingAffected if The application passes user-supplied input directly to redirect results without validation
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Inspect HTTP request parameters for redirect logicReview application code that handles incoming request parameters and passes them to Struts redirect results, particularly looking for patterns like redirect:${parameterName}Affected if The application accepts arbitrary URL parameters and uses them in redirect configurations without filtering
You are affected if your installed Struts 2 version falls between 2.3.20 and 2.3.28.1 AND your application uses Struts redirect or redirectAction results that accept user-supplied parameters without validation.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataUpgrade Apache Struts 2 to version 2.3.29 or later. If immediate upgrading is not feasible, implement strict input validation and whitelisting for all redirect parameters at the application layer.
Fix this in Struts
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-4433 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-4433 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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