CVE-2023-51444
GeoServer is an open source software server written in Java that allows users to share and edit geospatial data.
Does this matter?
High impact if exploited, but EPSS currently rates exploitation as unlikely (1.87%). Schedule it in the normal patch cycle and watch for a rise in EPSS or a public exploit.
Description
GeoServer is an open source software server written in Java that allows users to share and edit geospatial data. An arbitrary file upload vulnerability exists in versions prior to 2.23.4 and 2.24.1 that enables an authenticated administrator with permissions to modify coverage stores through the REST Coverage Store API to upload arbitrary file contents to arbitrary file locations which can lead to remote code execution. Coverage stores that are configured using relative paths use a GeoServer Resource implementation that has validation to prevent path traversal but coverage stores that are configured using absolute paths use a different Resource implementation that does not prevent path traversal. This vulnerability can lead to executing arbitrary code. An administrator with limited privileges could also potentially exploit this to overwrite GeoServer security files and obtain full administrator privileges. Versions 2.23.4 and 2.24.1 contain a fix for this issue.
- CVSS 3.1
- 7.2 HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- EPSS
- 1.87% probability · 79th percentile
- Public exploits
- None in Exploit-DB
- CISA KEV
- Not listed
- Weakness
- CWE-20, CWE-434
- Affected
- geoserver/geoserver
- Source
- security-advisories@github.com
EPSS 1.9% since 26 October 2026; no change recorded yet. Points are recorded when the score first appears and whenever it moves by a percentage point or more.
References
- https://github.com/geoserver/geoserver/commit/ca683170c669718cb6ad4c79e01b0451065e13b8Patch
- https://github.com/geoserver/geoserver/commit/fe235b3bb1d7f05751a4a2ef5390c36f5c9e78aePatch
- https://github.com/geoserver/geoserver/pull/7222Issue Tracking
- https://github.com/geoserver/geoserver/security/advisories/GHSA-9v5q-2gwq-q9hqExploit, Vendor Advisory
- https://osgeo-org.atlassian.net/browse/GEOS-11176Issue Tracking
- https://github.com/geoserver/geoserver/commit/ca683170c669718cb6ad4c79e01b0451065e13b8Patch
- https://github.com/geoserver/geoserver/commit/fe235b3bb1d7f05751a4a2ef5390c36f5c9e78aePatch
- https://github.com/geoserver/geoserver/pull/7222Issue Tracking
- https://github.com/geoserver/geoserver/security/advisories/GHSA-9v5q-2gwq-q9hqExploit, Vendor Advisory
- https://osgeo-org.atlassian.net/browse/GEOS-11176Issue Tracking
Source: NVD record, EPSS from FIRST.org, KEV from CISA, exploits from Exploit-DB. Refreshed daily. Download this record as JSON.