CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2023-41877 — GeoServer is an open source software server written in Java that allows users to share and edit geospatial data

High CVSS 7.2

GeoServer is an open source software server written in Java that allows users to share and edit geospatial data. A path traversal vulnerability in versions 2.23.4 and prior requires GeoServer Administrator with access to the admin console to misconfigure the Global Settings for log file location to an arbitrary location. The admin console GeoServer Logs page provides a preview of these contents. As this issue requires GeoServer administrators access, often representing a trusted party, the vulnerability has not received a patch as of time of publication. As a workaround, a system administrator responsible for running GeoServer can use the `GEOSERVER_LOG_FILE` setting to override any configuration option provided by the Global Settings page. The `GEOSERVER_LOG_LOCATION` parameter can be set as system property, environment variables, or servlet context parameters.

Severity
High
CVSS
7.2 (3.1)
Published
2024-03-20
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
java/maven
Weaknesses
CWE-22

Affected products

  • geoserver / geoserver

Matched remediation archetype

Path traversal, unsafe upload, and file handling

This catalog composition supplies bounded fallback guidance. Explicitly reviewed curated workflows load with the complete record below.

Check exposure

  • Trace untrusted filenames, archive entries, URLs, and path segments into read, write, include, extraction, and upload operations.
  • Identify filesystem roots, mount permissions, symbolic-link behavior, archive handling, and whether uploaded content is web-accessible or executable.
  • Review canonicalization and containment checks across supported operating systems and storage backends.

Remediate safely

  • Generate server-side storage identifiers and resolve paths beneath a fixed root using filesystem-aware containment checks.
  • Reject absolute, parent-relative, alternate-separator, device, link, and archive entries that escape the intended root.
  • Store uploads outside executable or served paths, validate type and size, and use private atomic temporary files.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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