KEV Intelligence

Vulnerability report

Active exploitation observed Confirmed confidence Not in CISA KEV

CVE-2016-3081

Struts

Apache / Struts

View live feed Monitor via API
Severity
CVSS 8.1 · High
Confidence
Confirmed
Exploit status
Observed in sensors
EPSS
92.9%
First observed
27 Jun 2026
Last observed
12 Aug 2026

Decision summary

What security teams need to know first

Direct answers before the deeper technical record.

What it is

CVE-2016-3081 is an unauthenticated vulnerability affecting Apache Struts. Apache Struts 2.3.19 to 2.3.20.2, 2.3.21 to 2.3.24.1, and 2.3.25 to 2.3.28, when Dynamic Method Invocation is enabled, allow remote attackers...

Is it exploited?

Yes. KEV Intelligence sensors observed exploitation attempts with confirmed confidence.

Who is affected?

Apache / Struts.

What should we do?

Patch immediately, validate internet-facing exposure, and monitor for matching requests.

Overview

Struts

Apache Struts 2.3.19 to 2.3.20.2, 2.3.21 to 2.3.24.1, and 2.3.25 to 2.3.28, when Dynamic Method Invocation is enabled, allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via method: prefix, related to chained expressions.

Published
26 Apr 2016
Exploitation Reported
27 Jun 2026
Attack vector
Remote
Complexity
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None

Tags

apache nuclei_scanner

CVE References

Exploitation evidence

Why KEV Intelligence marks this CVE as exploited

Third-party attestation and first-party sensor observation are shown separately so teams can judge the evidence chain.

Exploited in the wild

KEV Intelligence

Recorded 27 Jun 2026

Independent exploitation attestation added to the KEV Intelligence record.

Active exploitation observed

KEV Intelligence sensor

First observed 27 Jun 2026

First-party sensor telemetry confirms matching exploitation attempts.

Proof of concept available

Nuclei Templates

Recorded 28 Apr 2025

Public scanner or PoC coverage increases practical exploitability.

Known exploited vulnerability sources

Per-source evidence links for KEV attestations are available through the KEV Intelligence Pro API.

Learn about Pro API access
Source Added
KEV Intelligence First 2026-07-23 09:37 UTC

Operational indicators for this CVE are listed under Detection.

Sensor telemetry

First-party evidence of exploitation activity

Aggregate observations show the scale, recency, and distribution of activity without overstating sparse data.

6

Attempts observed

4

Unique attacker IPs

2

Attacker countries

GB · US

3

Sensors observed

Exploitation attempts over the last 55 days

Daily events observed by KEV Intelligence sensors

Updated 19 Aug 2026

0
1
0
9
6
1
0
40
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
26 Jun 7 Jul 18 Jul 29 Jul 19 Aug

First observed 27 Jun 2026 · Last observed 12 Aug 2026

Pro adds sensor region and window summaries. Enterprise adds raw IPs, paths, User-Agents, and payloads.

Request telemetry access

Detection

Operational artifacts and observed signals

Make the evidence actionable in scanner, SOC, and edge-control workflows.

Observed signals

Request targets
3
User-Agents
4

Raw values available in Pro and Enterprise.

Virtual patch status

No KEV Intelligence virtual patch is currently available. Future rules ship for ModSecurity, Cloudflare, and AWS WAF.

Learn about virtual patches →

Attacker IP Indicators

Attacker IP indicators observed · available in Pro and Enterprise.

Sensor-derived attacker IP indicators are available to Pro and Enterprise accounts under Detection and through the Pro API.

Learn about Pro API access

Scanner Artifacts

Scanner and exploit-framework references linked to this CVE.

Scanner Reference Detected
Metasploit https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/multi/http/struts_dmi_exec.rb 28 Apr 2025
Nuclei https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2016/CVE-2016-3081.yaml 25 Apr 2025

Risk and context

Severity, weaknesses, and research context

CVSS v3.0

8.1 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS

92.9%

Weaknesses

Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection') CWE-77

All CVSS Scores

CVSS v3.0 8.1 High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS v2.0 9.3 High

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Potential Proof of Concepts

These PoCs are unverified and could contain malware. Use at your own risk.

Apache S2-032 Struts - Remote Code Execution

nuclei · Created Unknown

struts_dmi_exec

metasploit · Created Unknown

Metasploit module for CVE-2016-3081

Timeline

From disclosure to observed exploitation

  1. Observed by KEV Intelligence sensors

    Evidence-backed exploitation signal

  2. Indicators of compromise added (23)

    Indicators of compromise recorded

  3. Metasploit module available

    Exploit module available

  4. Public PoC available

    Public proof-of-concept code published

  5. Nuclei template available

    Scanner coverage available

  6. CVE published

    Vulnerability disclosed publicly

  7. CVE ID reserved

    Identifier reserved by the CNA

Pro API

Automate this intelligence

Confidence, exploit status, sensor telemetry, PoCs, scanner integrations, mentions, and tags are available programmatically for VM, SOC, and CTI workflows.

View Pro pricing Read API docs
  • Evidence confidence and provenance
  • First-party sensor telemetry
  • PoC and scanner references
  • Affected versions and enrichment
  • Automation-ready JSON delivery

GET /api/v2/pro/kevs/CVE-2016-3081

Free JSON includes basic KEV fields 
{
  "cve_id": "CVE-2016-3081",
  "confidence": "Confirmed",
  "cvss_score": 8.1,
  "cvss_estimated": false,
  "epss_score": 0.92858,
  "exploit_status": {
    "exploited_in_the_wild": true,
    "active_exploitation_observed": true
  },
  "sensor_telemetry": { "attempts": 6, "sensors": 3 }
}

Early warning alerts

Get alerts on high-impact exploitation

Receive curator-selected alerts when exploitation activity warrants attention. Each alert includes the evidence and context needed to decide what requires attention now.

Occasional high-impact alerts. Unsubscribe anytime. See our Privacy Policy.