dbcve.org
Portal For ArcgisApplication · Esri

CVE-2022-38204

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-12-29
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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 · unedited
There is a reflected XSS vulnerability in Esri Portal for ArcGIS versions 10.8.1 and 10.7.1 which may allow a remote, unauthenticated attacker to create a crafted link which when clicked could potentially execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the victim’s browser.

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 confidence

A reflected XSS vulnerability exists in Esri Portal for ArcGIS versions 10.8.1 and 10.7.1 where unsanitized user input is echoed back in HTTP responses, allowing injection of malicious JavaScript through crafted URLs. When a victim clicks a specially crafted link, the injected script executes in their browser within the security context of the affected application.

MitigationApply the vendor-provided patch or upgrade to a patched version of Esri Portal for ArcGIS. Additionally, implement URL parameter validation and output encoding at the application boundary to neutralize XSS vectors until the official patch is applied.

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
Portal For ArcgisApplication
Affected:= 10.7.1= 10.8.1

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed Esri Portal for ArcGIS version
    Log into the ArcGIS Portal Administrator Directory (typically at https://yourserver:7443/arcgis/portal/admin) and navigate to the System > Properties page, or check the About page in the portal web interface to view the current version number
    Affected if The displayed version is exactly 10.7.1 or 10.8.1
  2. Check portal homepage for version string
    Visit the portal sign-in page and view the page source or footer, as some versions display version information in the HTML
    Affected if The version string in the HTML or footer shows 10.7.1 or 10.8.1
  3. Query portal REST API for version
    Access the portal self API endpoint (e.g., https://yourserver:7443/arcgis/sharing/rest/portals/self) and examine the 'currentVersion' or 'portalVersion' field in the JSON response
    Affected if The API returns version 10.7.1 or 10.8.1

You are affected if your installed Esri Portal for ArcGIS version is exactly 10.7.1 or 10.8.1, as these are the only versions listed as vulnerable to this reflected XSS.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the vendor-provided patch or upgrade to a patched version of Esri Portal for ArcGIS. Additionally, implement URL parameter validation and output encoding at the application boundary to neutralize XSS vectors until the official patch is applied.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest supported Portal for ArcGIS version (contact Esri for specific version number and patch availability)

  1. Contact Esri Technical Support to obtain the security patch for this vulnerability
  2. Request the specific patch or hotfix number for CVE-2022-38204
  3. Apply the patch following Esri's standard patch deployment procedures
  4. Verify the patch has been applied by checking the Portal for ArcGIS version and confirming the XSS vulnerability is resolved
  5. Test that legitimate Portal functionality continues to work after patch application
Caveat Contact Esri for any known compatibility or configuration considerations before upgrading

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Portal For Arcgis Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,480
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-38204 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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