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StrutsFramework / library · Apache

CVE-2016-4436

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-10-03
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 No privileges 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
Apache Struts 2 before 2.3.29 and 2.5.x before 2.5.1 allow attackers to have unspecified impact via vectors related to improper action name clean up.

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 · moderate confidence

Apache Struts 2 versions before 2.3.29 and 2.5.x before 2.5.1 contain a vulnerability related to improper action name cleanup. The CVSS 9.8 critical score indicates potential for remote code execution, though the specific exploitation mechanism is not detailed in the available description.

MitigationUpgrade Apache Struts 2 installations to version 2.3.29 or later, or 2.5.1 or later, to remediate this vulnerability.

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
Affected:= 2.0.0= 2.0.1= 2.0.2= 2.0.3= 2.0.4= 2.0.5= 2.0.6= 2.0.7= 2.0.8= 2.0.9= 2.0.11= 2.0.11.1

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:3.0/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. Locate the Struts 2 core library
    Search for struts2-core-*.jar files in your application deployment directory, typically under WEB-INF/lib/ or in the application's classpath. The filename contains the version number (e.g., struts2-core-2.3.24.jar).
    Affected if The file is not found, indicating Struts 2 may not be present.
  2. Extract the exact Struts 2 version
    If using Maven, check pom.xml for the struts2-core dependency version. If the JAR is available, inspect its manifest file (META-INF/MANIFEST.MF) for the Implementation-Version attribute.
    Affected if Unable to determine the version from available files.
  3. Compare against affected version ranges
    The affected versions are: any 2.x version before 2.3.29, or any 2.5.x version before 2.5.1. Compare your identified version to these boundaries. Note: Versions 2.0.0 through 2.0.11.1 are explicitly listed as affected.
    Affected if Your version is 2.3.28 or lower in the 2.3.x line, OR 2.5.0 in the 2.5.x line, OR any 2.0.x version up to 2.0.11.1.
  4. Confirm the application uses Struts 2 action processing
    Check your struts.xml configuration file (typically in WEB-INF/classes/) and verify that Struts 2 action mappings are defined. Also verify the web.xml contains the StrutsPrepareAndExecuteFilter or FilterDispatcher filter configuration.
    Affected if Struts 2 filter is not configured in web.xml or no struts.xml exists, indicating Struts 2 is not actively used.

You are affected if your deployed Apache Struts 2 version is any release before 2.3.29 in the 2.3.x series, or any release before 2.5.1 in the 2.5.x series, and your application uses the Struts 2 framework for request processing.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade Apache Struts 2 installations to version 2.3.29 or later, or 2.5.1 or later, to remediate this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Struts 2.3.29 (for 2.3.x users) or Struts 2.5.1+ (for 2.5.x users)

  1. 1. Identify the current Struts 2 version in use by checking project dependencies (pom.xml, build.gradle, or WAR file lib directory)
  2. 2. If using Struts 2.3.x branch, upgrade to Struts 2.3.29
  3. 3. If using Struts 2.5.x branch, upgrade to Struts 2.5.1 or later (recommend latest 2.5.x stable release)
  4. 4. Update the Struts version in your build configuration file (pom.xml, build.gradle, or equivalent)
  5. 5. Rebuild and test the application thoroughly, especially action mappings and results
  6. 6. Deploy the updated application
Caveat Potential compatibility issues with third-party plugins; verify plugin versions are compatible with the target Struts version before upgrading

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

Fix this in Struts Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2016-4436 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