CVE-2012-0391

Exp

The ExceptionDelegator component in Apache Struts before 2.2.3.1 interprets parameter values as OGNL expressions during certain exception handling for mismatched data types of properties, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary Java code via a crafted parameter.

Published: 2012-01-08 Last update: 2026-04-22 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Analyzed，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2012-0391 is rated Critical Active Threat (94/100): CVSS Critical severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 75.07%, 99th percentile). CISA KEV confirms active exploitation (added 2022-01-21) affecting Apache / Struts 2. a weakness (CWE-94) Unauthenticated remote administrative access may be possible. The CISA remediation deadline has passed—treat as an emergency patch priority.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

CISA KEV Record for CVE-2012-0391

Name: Apache Struts 2 Improper Input Validation Vulnerability · CISA KEV detail

Exploit added: 2022-01-21

Action due: 2022-07-21

Required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Public exploit references (Exploit-DB) for CVE-2012-0391

EDB-ID Source Kind Published Link
18984 exploit_db edb 2012-06-05 Exploit-DB ↗
18329 exploit_db edb 2012-01-06 Exploit-DB ↗
— nvd_ref exploit_tag Exploit-DB ↗
— nvd_ref exploit_tag Exploit-DB ↗
— nvd_ref exploit_tag Exploit-DB ↗

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2012-0391

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 87.53% 75.07% -12.46%
2 2026-05-19 88.34% 87.53% -0.81%
3 2026-03-08 — 88.34% —

Full EPSS history (40 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2012-0391

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
9.8 3.1 CRITICAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 3.9 5.9 [email protected]
9.8 3.1 CRITICAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 3.9 5.9 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
9.3 2.0 HIGH
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:M)
Exploitation needs some favorable conditions, but not exceptional ones.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:C)
Complete confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:C)
Complete integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:C)
Complete availability impact.
 8.6 10.0 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2012-0391

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2012-0391

GHSA-4wrr-9h5r-m92w · Severity: critical · Ecosystem: maven — Apache Struts Remote Java Code Execution

OS Trackers for CVE-2012-0391

vendor priority summary link
redhat high — https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2012-0391
ubuntu medium CVE-2012-0391 medium priority: Ubuntu including 1 source packages (libstruts1.2-java), 20 status rows across 20 suites (artful, bionic, cosmic, hardy, lucid, maverick, natty, oneiric, precise, quantal, raring, saucy, trusty, upstream, utopic, vivid, wily, xenial, yakkety, zesty): ignored 10, DNE 9, released 1. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2012-0391

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2012-0391

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
apache struts < 2.2.3.1 cpe:2.3:a:apache:struts:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2012-0391

cvelogic Threat Intelligence