Apache Struts Command Injection Vulnerability

Apache Struts contains a command injection vulnerability that could allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via method:prefix when Dynamic Method Invocation is enabled.

Why it matters

• This vulnerability is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which means it has been observed being exploited in the wild.

Affected

• Vendor: Apache
• Product: Struts
• Identifier: CVE-2016-3081
• FlawFind severity: high
• Weakness: CWE-77

What to do

• Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.
• U.S. federal remediation deadline: 2026-10-11
• Inventory the affected product, prioritise internet-facing instances, and patch or mitigate immediately.
• Audit your own systems for the same weakness class — FlawFind can test your applications and APIs for it and prove what is exploitable.

Notes

This vulnerability could affect an open-source component, third-party library, protocol, or proprietary implementation that could be used by different products. For more information, please see: https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/WW/S2-032 ; ; BOD 26-04: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/bod-26-04-prioritizing-security-updates-based-risk ; Forensics Triage Requirements: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/bod-26-04-implementation-guidance-prioritizing-security-updates-based-risk ; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-3081