CVE-2021-29093
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedA use-after-free vulnerability when parsing a specially crafted file in Esri ArcGIS Server 10.8.1 (and earlier) allows an authenticated attacker with specialized permissions to achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the service account.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceA use-after-free vulnerability exists in Esri ArcGIS Server 10.8.1 and earlier when parsing specially crafted files. An authenticated attacker with specialized permissions can trigger the use-after-free to achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the service account running ArcGIS Server.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data<= 10.8.1CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- High
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify ArcGIS Server versionCheck the installed ArcGIS Server version through the ArcGIS Server Administrator Directory or by reviewing the software installation metadata. Access the Administrator Directory at https://server:6443/arcgis/admin and navigate to the version information, or check the program files on the server system.Affected if The installed version is 10.8.1 or earlier (any version up to and including 10.8.1).
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Verify file parsing services are accessibleReview which ArcGIS Server services and capabilities are enabled, particularly those that handle file parsing operations. Check the service directory and published services that accept file uploads or parse external file formats.Affected if File parsing services or endpoints are exposed and accessible to authenticated users.
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Confirm authentication and permission configurationExamine the ArcGIS Server security configuration to determine which users or roles have permissions to access file parsing functionality. Review the specialized permissions assigned to different user roles in the ArcGIS Server Manager or Administrator Directory.Affected if Authenticated users with specialized permissions can access file parsing capabilities.
A system is affected if it runs ArcGIS Server version 10.8.1 or earlier AND has file parsing features accessible to authenticated users with the specialized permissions required to trigger the vulnerability.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataApply the vendor-provided patch or upgrade to a fixed version of ArcGIS Server. Restrict access to authenticated users with specialized permissions and monitor for suspicious file parsing activity.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-29093 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-29093 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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