How severe is CVE-2011-3923?

CVE-2011-3923 has a CVSS score of 9.8/10, rated CRITICAL. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2011-3923?

CVE-2011-3923 affects the following packages: org.apache.struts:struts2-core (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2011-3923?

Update org.apache.struts:struts2-core to 2.3.1.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2011-3923 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2011-3923 in my Maven dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.struts:struts2-core, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate CVE-2011-3923 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.

Is CVE-2011-3923 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 4 known exploit references for CVE-2011-3923, including 1 documented proof-of-concept exploit on Exploit-DB and 3 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2011-3923?

CVE-2011-3923 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 89.5%, placing it in the 100th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A score above 50% indicates significantly elevated exploitation risk — immediate patching is strongly recommended.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2011-3923?

CVE-2011-3923 is classified as CWE-732 (CWE-732). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

Is there exploit tooling available for CVE-2011-3923?

A Metasploit module references CVE-2011-3923, which lowers the barrier to weaponization. Public exploit tooling significantly increases real-world risk — prioritize patching and ensure detection coverage. Exploit tooling should only ever be used in isolated, authorized testing environments.

When was CVE-2011-3923 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2011-3923 was published on April 22, 2022 and was last updated on February 16, 2024. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

☕

☕ Maven

Not in CISA KEV

CRITICAL severity

CVE-2011-3923 — struts2-core

CRITICAL

CVE-2011-3923 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) CWE-732 vulnerability in org.apache.struts:struts2-core. 4 public exploit or proof-of-concept references are indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.apache.struts:struts2-core — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Struts ParameterInterceptor vulnerability allows remote command execution

Published

Apr 22, 2022

Updated

Feb 16, 2024

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

4 known

Exploitation data as of Nov 1, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

89.5%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Very High Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs100th percentile — riskier than 100% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected

☕org.apache.struts:struts2-core

Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.

Description

Regular expression in ParametersInterceptor matches top['foo'](0) as a valid expression, which OGNL treats as (top['foo'])(0) and evaluates the value of 'foo' action parameter as an OGNL expression. This lets malicious users put arbitrary OGNL statements into any String variable exposed by an action and have it evaluated as an OGNL expression and since OGNL statement is in HTTP parameter value attacker can use blacklisted characters (e.g. #) to disable method execution and execute arbitrary methods, bypassing the ParametersInterceptor and OGNL library protections.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.apache.struts:struts2-core`	≥ 2.0.0&&< 2.3.1.2	2.3.1.2`org.apache.struts:struts2-core:2.3.1.2`

Affected Products

2 products · 2 configurations

Application

strutsapache

≥ 2.0.0 && < 2.3.1.2

range

Application

jboss enterprise web serverredhat

1 version

1.0.0

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

EDB-24874remotemultiple✓ Verified

Apache Struts - 'ParametersInterceptor' Remote Code Execution (Metasploit)

by Metasploit · Mar 22, 2013

Exploit-DB Source

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.struts:struts2-core, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.apache.struts:struts2-core to 2.3.1.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2011-3923 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.

Frequently Asked Questions

Regular expression in ParametersInterceptor matches `top['foo'](0)` as a valid expression, which OGNL treats as `(top['foo'])(0)` and evaluates the value of 'foo' action parameter as an OGNL expression. This lets malicious users put arbitrary OGNL statements into any String variable exposed by an action and have it evaluated as an OGNL expression and since OGNL statement is in HTTP parameter value attacker can use blacklisted characters (e.g. #) to disable method execution and execute arbitrary methods, bypassing the ParametersInterceptor and OGNL library protections.

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

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Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.

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CVSS Score

9.8/10CVSS v3 base

Vector breakdown

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Raw vector

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

CWE Classification

Weaponization

Timeline

First exploit

Mar 22, 2013

Disclosed

Apr 22, 2022

Last updated

Feb 16, 2024

Identifiers

CVE-2011-3923

References

Advisorynvd.nist.gov · CVE 2011 3923 Webbugzilla.redhat.com · show bug.cgi Webexchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com Websecurity-tracker.debian.org · CVE 2011 3923 Webweb.archive.org Webblog.o0o.nu · cve 2011 3923 yet another struts2 Webstruts.apache.org · s2 009

Related vulnerabilities

This CVE is critical severity; 2 of 8 other CVEs affecting struts2-core are rated as high or higher (top: critical).

CVE-2025-68493CVE-2025-66675CVE-2025-64775CVE-2024-53677CVE-2023-50164CVE-2023-41835CVE-2023-34396CVE-2023-34149

Provenance

Sources

OSV.devNVDFIRST.org (EPSS)

Last verifiedFeb 16, 2024

CVE-2011-3923 — struts2-core

EPSS Exploitation Probability

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Real-World Exposure

Description

Affected Packages

Affected Products

Detection & mitigation playbook

Detect

Fix

Workarounds

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CVE-2011-3923 in your dependencies?