CVE-2021-29115
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 · uneditedAn information disclosure vulnerability in the ArcGIS Service Directory in Esri ArcGIS Enterprise versions 10.9.0 and below may allows a remote attacker to view hidden field names in feature layers. This issue may reveal field names, but not not disclose features.
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 confidenceThis is an information disclosure vulnerability in the ArcGIS Service Directory component of Esri ArcGIS Enterprise (versions 10.9.0 and below). A remote, unauthenticated attacker can view hidden field names in feature layers through the Service Directory interface. While the CVSS score is 5.3 (Medium), the impact is limited as only field names are exposed—not actual feature data or values.
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<= 10.9CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
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 Enterprise versionCheck the installed ArcGIS Enterprise version through ArcGIS Server Manager or by reviewing system documentation. Navigate to the ArcGIS Server Administrator Directory (e.g., https://server:6443/arcgis/admin) and check the version information.Affected if The installed version is 10.9.0 or below (any version <= 10.9)
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Confirm Service Directory is accessibleNavigate to the ArcGIS Services Directory endpoint (typically at /arcgis/rest/services or /arcgis/services) on the server to verify it is exposed.Affected if Service Directory is reachable without authentication and responds to requests
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Check for feature services with hidden fieldsBrowse through the Service Directory to locate feature layer endpoints. Review the layers and their field definitions to identify any fields marked as hidden, not visible, or with restricted display settings.Affected if Feature layers exist that contain hidden fields accessible through the Service Directory interface
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Test unauthenticated field enumerationUse a web browser or HTTP tool to query the Service Directory REST endpoint for feature services without providing credentials. Observe if hidden field names are returned in the layer or table definitions.Affected if Hidden field names are visible to unauthenticated users through the Service Directory API responses
A user is affected if they run ArcGIS Enterprise version 10.9 or below with the Service Directory accessible to unauthenticated users, as this allows exposure of hidden field metadata.
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 dataUpdate to a patched version of ArcGIS Enterprise if available, or review and restrict Service Directory access configurations to prevent unauthorized enumeration of hidden field metadata.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-29115 — 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-2021-29115 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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- 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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