CVE-2022-38199
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 remote file download issue can occur in some capabilities of Esri ArcGIS Server web services that may in some edge cases allow a remote, unauthenticated attacker to induce an unsuspecting victim to launch a process in the victim's PATH environment. Current browsers provide users with warnings against running unsigned executables downloaded from the internet.
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 · moderate confidenceA remote file download vulnerability in Esri ArcGIS Server allows an unauthenticated attacker to craft URLs that cause the server to download files to locations within the victim's system PATH, enabling arbitrary code execution when the user runs affected commands. This is a binary planting/path interception attack where the downloaded executable gets placed in a directory that will be searched when the victim invokes a common command.
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= 10.7.1= 10.8.1= 10.9.1CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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.
-
Identify installed ArcGIS Server versionUse ArcGIS Server Manager or check the About section in the administrative interface to determine the exact version numberAffected if The installed version matches 10.7.1, 10.8.1, or 10.9.1
-
Verify if the server is exposed to unauthenticated network requestsReview firewall rules and network access controls to determine if the ArcGIS Server services are reachable from untrusted networksAffected if The server accepts HTTP/HTTPS requests from unauthenticated or untrusted sources on the internet or external networks
-
Inspect server access logs for suspicious download patternsExamine ArcGIS Server logs for unusual GET or POST requests containing path traversal sequences or unexpected file download parametersAffected if Logs contain requests with patterns indicative of the vulnerability, such as attempts to write files to system directories
-
Check for unauthorized files in system PATH directoriesReview common PATH directories on the server (such as C:\Windows\System32 or /usr/local/bin) for newly created or unexpected executable files that were not deployed by administratorsAffected if Unexpected executable files exist in directories that are in the system PATH and correlate with the time window the server was vulnerable
-
Review recent security events or exploitation indicatorsCheck any intrusion detection system alerts, web application firewall logs, or security information and event management (SIEM) records for indicators of the vulnerability being exploitedAffected if Security logs show evidence of the download functionality being exploited to place files outside intended directories
A user is affected if their ArcGIS Server is version 10.7.1, 10.8.1, or 10.9.1 and is accessible to unauthenticated attackers who could leverage the download functionality to place malicious executables in system PATH directories.
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 vendor patches from Esri for ArcGIS Server, disable or restrict the vulnerable download functionality at the network level until patched, and educate users about the risks of running unsigned executables even when browsers display warnings.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-38199 — 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-2022-38199 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data