Apache Struts 2 Remote Code Execution via Jakarta Multipart Parser
Actively exploited in the wild. Patch or mitigate immediately — don't wait for a maintenance window.
An unauthenticated attacker, remotely over the network, with no user interaction, can fully compromise the system — steal data, tamper with it and take it offline.
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.
Techniques marked “observed” are corroborated by threat intelligence; the rest are inferred from the weakness type (CWE) and attack vector.
Corroborated threat activity referencing this CVE — with source and confidence, not inference.
Groups documented using the techniques observed against this CVE — a tradecraft association, not a confirmed attribution. Overlap count shown; click for the MITRE profile.
These techniques were analysed against this CVE's real-world exploitation — the matching entries in the ATT&CK chain above are marked “observed”.
Generated by Wavense from the CVE record — an immediate mitigation and the permanent fix.
Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) to detect and block requests with malicious Content-Type headers or known attack patterns. Restrict or disable file upload functionality in affected applications if not critical, or impose strict server-side validation on all HTTP header fields.
Upgrade Apache Struts 2 to version 2.3.32 or later, or to version 2.5.10.1 or later. These versions contain the necessary fixes for the incorrect exception handling in the Jakarta Multipart parser, permanently resolving the remote code execution vulnerability.
A remote attacker can achieve arbitrary code execution on the server running the vulnerable Apache Struts 2 application. This allows for complete system compromise, enabling data exfiltration, service disruption, or further network penetration, leading to significant business and reputational damage.
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