dbcve.org
Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 3 May 2022. Known ransomware use
StrutsFramework / library · Apache

CVE-2017-5638

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2017-03-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.3.32 / 2.5.10.1 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild Ransomware 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
The Jakarta Multipart parser in Apache Struts 2 2.3.x before 2.3.32 and 2.5.x before 2.5.10.1 has incorrect exception handling and error-message generation during file-upload attempts, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via a crafted Content-Type, Content-Disposition, or Content-Length HTTP header, as exploited in the wild in March 2017 with a Content-Type header containing a #cmd= string.

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

The Jakarta Multipart parser in Apache Struts 2 has improper exception handling and error-message generation during file uploads, which allows OGNL injection via crafted HTTP headers (Content-Type, Content-Disposition, or Content-Length). Attackers achieve remote code execution by injecting OGNL expressions like '#cmd=' in the Content-Type header.

MitigationUpgrade Apache Struts 2 to version 2.3.32 or 2.5.10.1 or later to patch the vulnerable Jakarta Multipart parser; if immediate upgrade is not feasible, disable file upload functionality or deploy a WAF rule blocking malicious Content-Type headers.

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:>= 2.2.3, < 2.3.32>= 2.5.0, < 2.5.10.1
Storwize V3500 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:= 7.7.1.6= 7.8.1.0
Storwize V5000 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:= 7.7.1.6= 7.8.1.0
Storwize V7000 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:= 7.7.1.6= 7.8.1.0
Storage V5030 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:= 7.7.1.6= 7.8.1.0
Server AutomationApplication
Affected:= 9.1.0= 10.0.0= 10.1.0= 10.2.0= 10.5.0
Weblogic ServerApplication
Affected:= 10.3.6.0.0= 12.1.3.0.0= 12.2.1.1.0= 12.2.1.2.0
Clearpass Policy ManagerApplication
Affected:< 6.6.5

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 if Apache Struts is in use
    Search for struts-core.jar in the application WEB-INF/lib directory, or check application startup scripts and classpaths for Struts libraries
    Affected if struts-core.jar is present in the deployment
  2. Determine Apache Struts version
    Examine the filename or manifest of struts-core.jar (e.g., struts2-core-2.3.x.jar) or check pom.xml/build configuration if available
    Affected if Version is >= 2.2.3 and < 2.3.32, OR >= 2.5.0 and < 2.5.10.1
  3. Check if file upload is enabled
    Look for struts.multipart parser configuration in struts.xml (e.g., <constant name="struts.multipart.parser" value="jakarta" />) or check if any action uses file upload functionality
    Affected if Jakarta (or jakarta) multipart parser is explicitly configured or is the default parser in use
  4. For other affected products, identify product and version
    Check IBM Storwize/ Lenovo/ HP/ Oracle/ Aruba product version via web UI, CLI, or system information (e.g., 'show version', 'ver', or admin console)
    Affected if Product matches one listed (IBM Storwize V3500/V5000/V7000, Lenovo V5030, HP Server Automation, Oracle Weblogic, Aruba Clearpass) and version is in the affected list

A system is affected if it runs Apache Struts 2 with vulnerable version AND uses Jakarta Multipart parser for file uploads, or runs any of the other listed products at the specified affected versions.

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 2.3.32 / 2.5.10.1 / 6.6.5 or later
Fixed in 2.3.322.5.10.16.6.5
Vendor patch www.oracle.com →
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Apache Struts 2 to version 2.3.32 or 2.5.10.1 or later to patch the vulnerable Jakarta Multipart parser; if immediate upgrade is not feasible, disable file upload functionality or deploy a WAF rule blocking malicious Content-Type headers.

Recommended fix High confidence

Struts 2.3.32 or later (2.3.x); Struts 2.5.10.1 or later (2.5.x)

  1. Identify all applications using Apache Struts 2.x and determine the current version in use
  2. For Struts 2.3.x versions (>= 2.2.3, < 2.3.32): Upgrade to Struts 2.3.32 or later (preferably 2.3.34 for additional fixes)
  3. For Struts 2.5.x versions (>= 2.5.0, < 2.5.10.1): Upgrade to Struts 2.5.10.1 or later (preferably 2.5.10.2 or later for additional fixes)
  4. For products bundling vulnerable Struts versions (Storwize, Weblogic, Clearpass, Server Automation): Apply vendor-specific patches or upgrades as released by the respective vendors
  5. Test the upgraded application thoroughly in a non-production environment before deploying to production
  6. Verify the fix by confirming the Struts version and testing file upload functionality with normal Content-Type headers
Caveat Upgrading across major version branches (e.g., 2.3 to 2.5) may introduce breaking API changes; test thoroughly before production deployment

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

Fix this in Struts Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
32.0 hours of engineering $5,360
Get it fixed fast

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,576.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-5638 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2017-5638 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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