What is CWE-109: Struts: Validator Turned Off?

CWE-109: Struts: Validator Turned Off is a Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) entry maintained by MITRE. Automatic filtering via a Struts bean has been turned off, which disables the Struts Validator and custom validation logic. This exposes the application to other weaknesses related to insufficient input validation.

What are the security consequences of Struts: Validator Turned Off?

If exploited, CWE-109 (Struts: Validator Turned Off) it can compromise Access Control, leading to outcomes such as Bypass Protection Mechanism.

How do you prevent or mitigate Struts: Validator Turned Off?

Recommended mitigations for CWE-109 include: Ensure that an action form mapping enables validation. Set the validate field to true.

Which programming languages are affected by Struts: Validator Turned Off?

CWE-109 commonly affects Java. Note that weaknesses are often language-agnostic patterns, so secure coding practices apply broadly.

What is the difference between a CWE and a CVE?

A CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) like CWE-109 describes a category of software weakness — the underlying flaw type. A CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) identifies a specific, real-world vulnerability in a particular product. In short, a CWE is the kind of mistake, and a CVE is an instance of that mistake being found in software.

CWE-109: Struts: Validator Turned Off

Verify controls for CWE-109 with SSDF evidence

Use NIST SSDF verification and vulnerability-response practices to detect CWE-109, Struts: Validator Turned Off, throughout the product lifecycle. Derive review questions, static or dynamic checks, and negative tests from the CWE's causal behavior; define the components and lifecycle stages each check covers; and retain findings with enough evidence to distinguish the root cause from symptoms and impacts. Track escapes and false negatives, then improve the verification plan after every confirmed occurrence.

NIST SP 800-218 Secure Software Development Framework — National Institute of Standards and Technology

Address Struts: Validator Turned Off during Implementation

MITRE associates mitigation with Implementation; recorded impacts include Bypass Protection Mechanism; related weaknesses include CWE-1173, and CWE-20. Use these source-defined anchors to turn CWE-109 into implementation, review, and verification checks for the affected component.

CWE-109: Struts: Validator Turned Off — MITRE CWE

Triage CWE-109 against known exploitation evidence

Use CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog to test whether a vulnerability mapped to CWE-109, Struts: Validator Turned Off, has evidence of exploitation in the wild. Confirm the CVE-to-CWE root-cause mapping independently before attaching the example, then capture the affected product, required action, and remediation deadline. A missing KEV match is not evidence that the weakness is unexploited, and a KEV entry must not be generalized to every occurrence of this CWE.

Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog — Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

Apply precise root-cause mapping to CWE-109

Apply MITRE's full root-cause mapping guidance when using CWE-109, Struts: Validator Turned Off. Separate weakness language from attacker prerequisites and technical impact, check the entry's abstraction and vulnerability-mapping notes, and prefer the most specific Base or Variant supported by the evidence. Record the rejected alternatives and require an independent review before the mapping is used for remediation trends or program metrics.

CVE to CWE Root Cause Mapping Guidance — MITRE CWE

Validate CWE-109 with root-cause mapping checks

Apply MITRE's root-cause mapping quick tips to CWE-109, Struts: Validator Turned Off. Confirm the finding describes the causal weakness rather than an impact or attack pattern, compare the abstraction and mapping notes with plausible alternatives, and have a second reviewer challenge the selection. Preserve the evidence and reasoning so recurring defects can be measured against one consistent identifier.

CVE to CWE Root Cause Mapping Quick Tips — MITRE CWE

CWE-109: Struts: Validator Turned Off

Technical Details

Applicable To

Security Consequences

Scope

Impact

Mitigation Strategies

Phase

Description

Detection Methods

Code Examples & CVEs

Demonstrative Examples

CWE Relationships

Parent Weaknesses

Source-backed guidance

Verify controls for CWE-109 with SSDF evidence

Address Struts: Validator Turned Off during Implementation

Triage CWE-109 against known exploitation evidence

Apply precise root-cause mapping to CWE-109

Validate CWE-109 with root-cause mapping checks

Frequently Asked Questions

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