StrutsFramework / library · Apache
CVE-2016-6795
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 · uneditedIn the Convention plugin in Apache Struts 2.3.x before 2.3.31, and 2.5.x before 2.5.5, it is possible to prepare a special URL which will be used for path traversal and execution of arbitrary code on server side.
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 confidenceThe Convention plugin in Apache Struts versions 2.3.x before 2.3.31 and 2.5.x before 2.5.5 contains a path traversal vulnerability that allows attackers to craft special URLs to traverse the file system and execute arbitrary code on the server side.
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= 2.3.20.2= 2.3.20.3= 2.3.21= 2.3.22= 2.3.23= 2.3.24= 2.3.24.1= 2.3.24.2= 2.3.24.3= 2.3.25CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Apache Struts versionLocate the struts2-core.jar file in your application's WEB-INF/lib directory and check its version from the filename or manifest. Alternatively, inspect the pom.xml or build.gradle for the Struts dependency version.Affected if The installed Struts version is 2.3.x less than 2.3.31, or 2.5.x less than 2.5.5
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Verify Convention plugin is presentCheck if struts2-convention-plugin.jar exists in WEB-INF/lib directory of your deployed application.Affected if The struts2-convention-plugin.jar file is present in the application
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Confirm Convention plugin is enabledInspect your struts.xml configuration file for the <constant name="struts.convention.action.alwaysSelectExecuteNamespace" value="true"/> setting or look for the convention plugin package in the classpath. Also check if any action classes use @Action annotations which indicate Convention is in use.Affected if The Convention plugin is loaded or actions rely on Convention-based URL mapping (e.g., /namespace/actionName.action)
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Review application for Convention-based URL patternsTest accessing a known action using the Convention plugin URL pattern: /{packageNamespace}/{actionClassNameWithoutActionSuffix}.action to see if the application responds. Alternatively, check logs for Convention plugin initialization messages.Affected if Convention-based action URLs are processed by the application (the vulnerability only triggers when Convention handles the request)
You are affected if your Struts version is 2.3.x before 2.3.31 or 2.5.x before 2.5.5 AND the Convention plugin JAR is present and actively handling requests.
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.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade Apache Struts to version 2.3.31 or 2.5.5 or later to patch the path traversal vulnerability in the Convention plugin.
Apache Struts 2.3.31 (or 2.5.5+ for 2.5.x branch)
- 1. Identify all applications and dependencies using Apache Struts 2.3.x Convention plugin versions 2.3.20 through 2.3.30
- 2. For Maven-based projects: Update the struts2-core dependency version in pom.xml to 2.3.31 (e.g., change <version>2.3.20</version> to <version>2.3.31</version>)
- 3. For non-Maven projects: Replace struts2-core.jar and struts2-convention-plugin.jar with version 2.3.31 from the Apache Struts distribution
- 4. Rebuild the application and run all unit/integration tests to verify compatibility
- 5. Deploy the updated application to staging environment for validation
- 6. Deploy to production after successful validation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Struts
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,464.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-6795 — 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-2016-6795 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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