CVE-2017-5638: Apache Struts Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Is it exploited?

Yes. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 3 Nov 2021, 1,698 days after the CVE record was published.

How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?

100%

EPSS score, percentile 100 of all scored records

How severe?

9.8 Critical

CVSS v3.1 base score, from CISA's enrichment of the record

What should I do?

CISA deadline 3 May 2022. Apply updates per vendor instructions.

The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.

Which versions are affected?

Affected

• 2.3.x before 2.3.32
• 2.5.x before 2.5.10.1

Versions by product

Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

What to do

CISA due date for this action: 3 May 2022.

Advisories and patches

The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.

Linked from CISA's catalog entry

• https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-5638

Affected products and versions

As listed in the CVE record.

Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

About this vulnerability

Apache Struts Jakarta Multipart parser allows for malicious file upload using the Content-Type value, leading to remote code execution.

Summary: CISA's KEV catalog, as of 28 Oct 2026.

• CISA added CVE-2017-5638 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 3 Nov 2021.
• CISA marks it as known to be used in ransomware campaigns.
• The due date CISA sets for the required action is 3 May 2022.
• The CVE record was published on 11 Mar 2017, 1,698 days before it was added to KEV.
• The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (Critical), taken from CISA's enrichment of the record.
• FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 100% (percentile 100), as of 28 Oct 2026.
• CISA's SSVC assessment in the CVE record: exploitation active, automatable yes, technical impact total.

Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

Description

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.

Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

Weakness

• CWE-755: Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions
• CWE-20

CWE and CAPEC are maintained by MITRE; the entries are those named in the CVE record and the KEV entry.

Timeline

References

• VU#834067 (Third-party advisory)
• 41570 (Exploit)
• 41614 (Exploit)
• 1037973 (Vulnerability database)
• 96729 (Vulnerability database)
• nmap.org
• arubanetworks.com
• arstechnica.com
• security.netapp.com
• github.com
• struts.apache.org
• blog.talosintelligence.com

21 more in the CVE record.

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• CVE-2026-34486: Apache Tomcat Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data Vulnerability (added 4 Aug 2026)
• CVE-2026-34197: Apache ActiveMQ Improper Input Validation Vulnerability (added 16 Apr 2026)
• CVE-2024-38475: Apache HTTP Server Improper Escaping of Output Vulnerability (added 1 May 2025)
• CVE-2025-24813: Apache Tomcat Path Equivalence Vulnerability (added 1 Apr 2025)
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