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StrutsFramework / library · Apache

CVE-2017-9787

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-07-13
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
When using a Spring AOP functionality to secure Struts actions it is possible to perform a DoS attack. Solution is to upgrade to Apache Struts version 2.5.12 or 2.3.33.

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

When using Spring AOP functionality to secure Struts actions, an attacker can exploit the interaction between Spring AOP and Struts to cause a denial of service condition. The vulnerability exists in how Spring AOP-secured Struts actions handle requests, allowing resource exhaustion or similar DoS conditions.

MitigationUpgrade Apache Struts to version 2.5.12 or 2.3.33 to remediate this vulnerability. Review any Spring AOP security configurations for Struts actions as part of the upgrade process.

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:= 2.3.7= 2.3.8= 2.3.9= 2.3.10= 2.3.11= 2.3.12= 2.3.13= 2.3.14= 2.3.14.1= 2.3.14.2= 2.3.14.3= 2.3.15

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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 Struts version
    Locate the Struts core library file (typically named struts2-core-*.jar) in your application deployment and check the version number in the filename or manifest. Alternatively, search for Struts version information in build configuration files (pom.xml, build.gradle) or application metadata.
    Affected if The installed Struts version is one of: 2.3.7, 2.3.8, 2.3.9, 2.3.10, 2.3.11, 2.3.12, 2.3.13, 2.3.14, 2.3.14.1, 2.3.14.2, 2.3.14.3, or 2.3.15
  2. Determine if Spring AOP is in use
    Search for Spring AOP dependencies in your application classpath or build configuration. Look for spring-aop JAR files or AOP-related libraries (aspectjweaver, cglib) in the deployment. Inspect Spring configuration files (applicationContext.xml) for AOP-related XML namespaces or annotations.
    Affected if Spring AOP libraries are present in the application and Spring framework is integrated with the Struts application
  3. Check for Spring AOP security on Struts actions
    Review Spring configuration files for interceptors, security advisors, or method security annotations (such as @Secured, @RolesAllowed) applied to Struts action classes. Look for Spring Bean definitions that wrap or proxy Struts action beans using Spring AOP.
    Affected if Spring AOP is configured to secure, intercept, or apply security advice to Struts action classes or their methods
  4. Verify request handling configuration
    Inspect the Struts configuration (struts.xml) and Spring configuration for how requests are routed and whether Spring-managed beans are used for action invocation. Check for any custom interceptors or action proxies that combine Spring and Struts.
    Affected if Struts actions are being invoked through Spring-managed beans or proxied by Spring AOP

Your environment is affected if you are running any of the vulnerable Struts versions (2.3.7 through 2.3.15) AND Spring AOP is configured to secure or intercept Struts action handling, as this combination enables the DoS condition described in the CVE.

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

Upgrade Apache Struts to version 2.5.12 or 2.3.33 to remediate this vulnerability. Review any Spring AOP security configurations for Struts actions as part of the upgrade process.

Fix this in Struts Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2017-9787 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
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