CVE-2017-9805

Exp

The REST Plugin in Apache Struts 2.1.1 through 2.3.x before 2.3.34 and 2.5.x before 2.5.13 uses an XStreamHandler with an instance of XStream for deserialization without any type filtering, which can lead to Remote Code Execution when deserializing XML payloads.

Published: 2017-09-15 Last update: 2026-04-21 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Analyzed，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2017-9805 is rated Critical Active Threat (97.4/100): CVSS High severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 99.46%, 100th percentile). CISA KEV confirms active exploitation (added 2021-11-03) affecting Apache / Struts. a weakness (CWE-502) Unauthenticated remote administrative access may be possible. EPSS rose +5.14% over the last day, indicating growing attacker interest. 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-2017-9805

Name: Apache Struts Deserialization of Untrusted Data Vulnerability · CISA KEV detail

Exploit added: 2021-11-03

Action due: 2022-05-03

Required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Public exploit references (Exploit-DB) for CVE-2017-9805

EDB-ID Source Kind Published Link
42627 exploit_db edb 2017-09-06 Exploit-DB ↗
— nvd_ref exploit_tag Exploit-DB ↗

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2017-9805

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 94.32% 99.46% +5.14%
2 2025-12-06 94.43% 94.32% -0.10%
3 2025-11-21 — 94.43% —

Full EPSS history (12 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2017-9805

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
8.1 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/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:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
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.
 2.2 5.9 [email protected]
8.1 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/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:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
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.
 2.2 5.9 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
6.8 2.0 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P 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:P)
Partial confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:P)
Partial integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:P)
Partial availability impact.
 8.6 6.4 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2017-9805

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2017-9805

GHSA-gg9m-fj3v-r58c · Severity: high · Ecosystem: maven — REST Plugin in Apache Struts uses an XStreamHandler with an instance of XStream for deserialization without any type filtering

OS Trackers for CVE-2017-9805

vendor priority summary link
redhat high — https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2017-9805
ubuntu medium CVE-2017-9805 medium priority: Ubuntu including 1 source packages (libstruts1.2-java), 7 status rows across 7 suites (artful, bionic, cosmic, trusty, upstream, xenial, zesty): DNE 6, needed 1. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2017-9805

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2017-9805

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
apache struts >= 2.1.2, < 2.3.34 cpe:2.3:a:apache:struts:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
apache struts >= 2.5.0, < 2.5.13 cpe:2.3:a:apache:struts:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco digital_media_manager — cpe:2.3:a:cisco:digital_media_manager:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco hosted_collaboration_solution 10.5\(1\) cpe:2.3:a:cisco:hosted_collaboration_solution:10.5\(1\):*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco hosted_collaboration_solution 11.0\(1\) cpe:2.3:a:cisco:hosted_collaboration_solution:11.0\(1\):*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco hosted_collaboration_solution 11.5\(1\) cpe:2.3:a:cisco:hosted_collaboration_solution:11.5\(1\):*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco hosted_collaboration_solution 11.6\(1\) cpe:2.3:a:cisco:hosted_collaboration_solution:11.6\(1\):*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco media_experience_engine 3.5 cpe:2.3:a:cisco:media_experience_engine:3.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco media_experience_engine 3.5.2 cpe:2.3:a:cisco:media_experience_engine:3.5.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco network_performance_analysis — cpe:2.3:a:cisco:network_performance_analysis:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco video_distribution_suite_for_internet_streaming — cpe:2.3:a:cisco:video_distribution_suite_for_internet_streaming:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
netapp oncommand_balance — cpe:2.3:a:netapp:oncommand_balance:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2017-9805

URL Tags
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/alert-cve-2017-9805-3889403.html Patch Third Party Advisory
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/100609 Broken Link Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1039263 Broken Link Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://blogs.apache.org/foundation/entry/apache-struts-statement-on-equifax Vendor Advisory
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1488482 Issue Tracking Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/WW/S2-052 Mitigation Vendor Advisory
https://lgtm.com/blog/apache_struts_CVE-2017-9805 Broken Link
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20170907-0001/ Third Party Advisory
https://struts.apache.org/docs/s2-052.html Mitigation Vendor Advisory
https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20170907-struts2 Third Party Advisory
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/42627/ Exploit Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/112992 Third Party Advisory US Government Resource
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2017-9805 US Government Resource
cvelogic Threat Intelligence