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NVD / CVE Program· CNA apache

CVE-2020-17530: Forced OGNL evaluation, when evaluated on raw user input in tag attributes, may lead to remote code execution.

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Now (action score 98/100)

  • CISA has confirmed exploitation in the wild (Nov 3, 2021). Remediation deadline for US federal agencies: May 3, 2022.
  • A ready-made attack module is public (Metasploit, Nuclei); exploiting it takes no special expertise.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 96.2% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 99.8% of all records.
  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • According to CISA the attack is automatable: targets can be found by mass scanning.
  • Fixed version: org.apache.struts:struts2-core (Maven) 2.5.26.
  • Mentioned 3 times in Turkish national cyber security advisories (siberguvenlik.gov.tr).

Patch today or shut off access. Upgrade to org.apache.struts:struts2-core (Maven) 2.5.26 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · CISA KEV · FIRST EPSS

Forced OGNL evaluation, when evaluated on raw user input in tag attributes, may lead to remote code execution. Affected software : Apache Struts 2.0.0 - Struts 2.5.25.

CriticalCVSS 9.8 · v3.1KEVWeaponized Fix available
Published
Dec 10, 2020
Updated
Jun 16, 2026
EPSS
96.2% · 99th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

98

Now

Patch today or shut off access.

CVSS
39 / 40 · 9.8 / 10
CISA KEV
30 / 30 · Listed
EPSS
29 / 30 · 96.2%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
active
Automatable
yes
Technical impact
total

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

Actively exploited in the wild

CISA added this to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on Nov 3, 2021. That signals real attacks, not theory.

Remediation deadline for US federal agencies: May 3, 2022.

Get told when this record changes

  • In CISA KEV: exploitation in the wild confirmed
  • Weaponized exploit exists
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2020-17530

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
apachestruts
oraclebusiness intelligence
oraclecommunications diameter intelligence hub
oraclecommunications policy management
oraclecommunications pricing design center
oraclefinancial services data integration hub
oraclehospitality opera 5
oraclemysql enterprise monitor

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • apache struts2.0.0 and later · before 2.5.30
  • oracle business intelligence12.2.1.3.0
  • oracle business intelligence12.2.1.4.0
  • oracle communications diameter intelligence hub8.0.0
  • oracle communications diameter intelligence hub8.1.0
  • oracle communications diameter intelligence hub8.2.0
  • oracle communications diameter intelligence hub8.2.3
  • oracle communications policy management12.5.0
  • oracle communications pricing design center12.0.0.3.0
  • oracle financial services data integration hub8.0.3
  • oracle financial services data integration hub8.0.6
  • oracle hospitality opera 55.6
  • oracle mysql enterprise monitor8.0.23

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (apache). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Apache Software Foundation Apache Struts

    • Struts 2.0.0 - Struts 2.5.25affected

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Mavenorg.apache.struts:struts2-corefrom 2.0.0 · before 2.5.262.5.26

Same product

apache: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2017-9791The Struts 1 plugin in Apache Struts 2.1.x and 2.3.x might allow remote code execution via a malicious field value passed in a raw message tKEV
    99Now
  • CVE-2017-5638The 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-mesKEV
    99Now
  • CVE-2018-11776Apache Struts versions 2.3 to 2.3.34 and 2.5 to 2.5.16 suffer from possible Remote Code Execution when alwaysSelectFullNamespace is true (eiKEV
    92Now

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2019-0230Sep 14, 2020 · Apache Struts 2.0.0 to 2.5.20 forced double OGNL evaluation, when evaluated on raw user input in tag attributes, may lead to remote code exe
    68This week
  • ← EarlierCVE-2019-0233Sep 14, 2020 · An access permission override in Apache Struts 2.0.0 to 2.5.20 may cause a Denial of Service when performing a file upload.
    50Plan
  • Later →CVE-2021-31805Apr 12, 2022 · Forced OGNL evaluation, when evaluated on raw not validated user input in tag attributes, may lead to RCE.
    65This week

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
Maven:org.apache.struts:struts2-core2.5.26Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

Weaponized

A ready exploit tool or active in-the-wild use is known for this vulnerability. This should be your top priority.

Evidence

  • Metasploit module ×1
  • Nuclei detection template ×2
  • Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub ×12

Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.

Public exploit evidence
SourceKindDate
Metasploit moduleexploit/multi/http/struts2_multi_eval_ognlApache Struts 2 Forced Multi OGNL Evaluationexploit2020-09-14
Nuclei detection templateNuclei template CVE-2020-17530 —
Nuclei detection templateNuclei template CVE-2021-31805 —
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:12020-12-09
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:642020-12-09
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:452020-12-10
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:292020-12-13
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:72020-12-14
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:02020-12-18
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:42020-12-30
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:52021-01-07
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:02021-01-24

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

  1. Metasploit-88 d
  2. First PoC-2 d
  3. Published
  4. CISA KEV+327 d
  5. TodayNov 3, 2026+2154 d

No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

National notice (Türkiye Cybersecurity Directorate / USOM)

Official security notices citing this record; remediation advice is on the agency's page.

All national notices →

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • No account or password is required.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
high · data can be read
Integrity
high · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-917 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an Expression Language Statement ('Expression Language Injection')

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

nvd-primary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Show all references (11 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records