CVE-2013-1966: Code Injection

Published May 27, 2013
·
Updated

Apache Struts 2 before 2.3.14.2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary OGNL code via a crafted request that is not properly handled when using the includeParams attribute in the (1) URL or (2) A tag.

Other sources

As per the upstream report:

Both the s:url and s:a tag provide an includeParams attribute.

The main scope of that attribute is to understand whether includes http request parameter or not.

The allowed values of includeParams are:

1. none - include no parameters in the URL (default) 2. get - include only GET parameters in the URL 3. all - include both GET and POST parameters in the URL

A request that included a specially crafted request parameter could be used to inject arbitrary OGNL code into the stack, afterward used as request parameter of an URL or A tag , which will cause a further evaluation.

The second evaluation happens when the URL/A tag tries to resolve every parameters present in the original request. This lets malicious users put arbitrary OGNL statements into any request parameter (not necessarily managed by the code) and have it evaluated as an OGNL expression to enable method execution and execute arbitrary methods, bypassing Struts and OGNL library protections.

This flaw is reported to affect Struts 2.0.0 through to Struts 2.3.14. It is corrected in 2.3.14.1.

External References:

https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/WW/S2-013

Red Hat

Affected Software

4 affected componentsFixes available
maven/org.apache.struts.xwork:xwork-core>=2.0.0<2.3.14.2
2.3.14.2
maven/org.apache.struts:struts2-core>=2.0.0<2.3.14.2
2.3.14.2
redhat/Struts<2.3.14.2
2.3.14.2
Apache struts>=2.0.0<2.3.14.1

Event History

Jul 10, 2013
CVE Published
via MITRE·07:00 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·07:00 PM
Description
May 14, 2022
Advisory Published
12:54 AM
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2013-1966?

CVE-2013-1966 has a high severity rating due to its ability to allow remote code execution.

2

How do I fix CVE-2013-1966?

To fix CVE-2013-1966, upgrade the affected Apache Struts versions to at least 2.3.14.2.

3

Which versions of Apache Struts are affected by CVE-2013-1966?

CVE-2013-1966 affects Apache Struts versions from 2.0.0 up to 2.3.14.1.

4

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2013-1966?

CVE-2013-1966 is a remote code execution vulnerability that allows attackers to execute arbitrary OGNL code.

5

What components of Apache Struts are affected by CVE-2013-1966?

CVE-2013-1966 affects the s:url and s:a tags in Apache Struts when used with the includeParams attribute.

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