How severe is CVE-2018-11776?

CVE-2018-11776 has a CVSS score of 8.1/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2018-11776?

CVE-2018-11776 affects the following packages: org.apache.struts:struts2-core (Maven), org.apache.struts:struts2-core (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2018-11776?

Update org.apache.struts:struts2-core to 2.3.35 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2018-11776 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2018-11776 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-2018-11776 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-2018-11776 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 39 known exploit references for CVE-2018-11776, including 3 documented proof-of-concept exploits on Exploit-DB and 24 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-2018-11776?

CVE-2018-11776 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 100.0%, 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.

Is CVE-2018-11776 in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog?

Yes. CVE-2018-11776 (Apache Struts Remote Code Execution Vulnerability) was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2021-11-03. CISA required all US federal civilian agencies to remediate this vulnerability by 2022-05-03. The required action was: Apply updates per vendor instructions. Being listed in the KEV catalog is the strongest possible confirmation of active exploitation — treat this as a critical priority.

Is there exploit tooling available for CVE-2018-11776?

A Nuclei detection template exists for CVE-2018-11776, meaning automated scanners can fingerprint it. 2 Metasploit modules reference CVE-2018-11776, 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-2018-11776 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2018-11776 was published on August 22, 2018 and was last updated on October 20, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

☕

☕ Maven

CISA KEV · ACTIVELY EXPLOITED

HIGH severity

CVE-2018-11776 — struts2-core

HIGHFix: apache/struts@6e87474

CVE-2018-11776 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.1) remote code execution vulnerability in org.apache.struts:struts2-core. It is in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2021-11-03) — treat it as actively exploited and patch now. A fix is available for org.apache.struts:struts2-core — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Apache Struts vulnerable to remote command execution (RCE) due to improper input validation

Also known asGHSA-cr6j-3jp9-rw65

Published

Aug 22, 2018

Updated

Oct 20, 2026

Affected

2 pkgs

Patched

2 / 2

Exploits

39 known

Exploitation data as of Oct 22, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, CISA KEV, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

Actively exploited in the wild

Confirmed by CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2021-11-03. Federal agencies were required to remediate by 2022-05-03.
A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA (KEV catalog and SSVC triage) for CVE-2018-11776.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

100.0%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Very High Risk+0.00%

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

CVE-2018-11776 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). In the shaded patch-first corner (EPSS 50%+, CVSS 7.0+).

Where this sits among everything scored

Of 394,415 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the ≥ 90% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.

Real-World Exposure

2 pkgs affected

☕org.apache.struts:struts2-core☕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

Apache 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 (either by user or a plugin like Convention Plugin) and then: results are used with no namespace and in same time, its upper package have no or wildcard namespace and similar to results, same possibility when using url tag which doesn't have value and action set and in same time, its upper package have no or wildcard namespace.

Affected Packages

2 total 2 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.apache.struts:struts2-core`	≥ 2.0.4&&< 2.3.35	2.3.35`org.apache.struts:struts2-core:2.3.35`
☕Maven	`org.apache.struts:struts2-core`	≥ 2.5&&< 2.5.17	2.5.17`org.apache.struts:struts2-core:2.5.17`

Affected Products

8 products · 13 configurations

Application

strutsapache

≥ 2.5.0 && < 2.5.17

range

Application

active iq unified managernetapp

≥ 9.5

range

Application

oncommand insightnetapp

all

Application

oncommand workflow automationnetapp

all

Application

snapcenternetapp

all

Application

communications policy managementoracle

< 12.5.0

range

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-45262remotemultiple

Apache Struts 2.3 < 2.3.34 / 2.5 < 2.5.16 - Remote Code Execution (2)

by hook-s3c · Aug 25, 2018

Exploit-DB Source

EDB-45367remotemultiple✓ Verified

Apache Struts 2 - Namespace Redirect OGNL Injection (Metasploit)

by Metasploit · Sep 10, 2018

Exploit-DB Source

EDB-45260remotelinux

Apache Struts 2.3 < 2.3.34 / 2.5 < 2.5.16 - Remote Code Execution (1)

by Mazin Ahmed · Aug 26, 2018

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 2.3.35 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2018-11776 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.

How to detect CVE-2018-11776

A community-maintained Nuclei template exists for this CVE. You can scan for it directly:

nuclei -id cve-2018-11776 -u https://target

Template: Apache Struts2 S2-057 - Remote Code Execution
Severity: high
Impact: Remote code execution
Remediation: Apply the latest security patches or upgrade to a non-vulnerable version of Apache Struts2.

Template by ProjectDiscovery nuclei-templates (pikpikcu), MIT licensed. View the full template. Scan only systems you are authorised to test.

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2018-11776 in your dependencies?

Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works

CVE-2018-11776 — struts2-core

Exploitation Status

Actively exploited in the wild

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

How to detect CVE-2018-11776

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CVE-2018-11776 in your dependencies?