dbcve.org
Portal For ArcgisApplication · Esri

CVE-2022-38205

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-12-29
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 10.9.1 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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
In some non-default installations of Esri Portal for ArcGIS versions 10.9.1 and below, a directory traversal issue may allow a remote, unauthenticated attacker to traverse the file system and lead to the disclosure of sensitive data (not customer-published content).

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 confidence

A directory traversal vulnerability in Esri Portal for ArcGIS versions 10.9.1 and below allows remote unauthenticated attackers to use path traversal sequences to access files outside the web root in non-default installation configurations, leading to disclosure of sensitive system data.

MitigationApply vendor patches for Esri Portal for ArcGIS above version 10.9.1; additionally, review non-default installation configurations and implement strict input validation on file path parameters.

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:<= 10.9.1

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 checks

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

  1. Identify installed Portal for ArcGIS version
    Access the Portal Administrator Directory at https://yourserver:7443/arcgis/portal/admin and navigate to System > Properties > Platform Info, or check the installation directory for version files
    Affected if Installed version is 10.9.1 or lower
  2. Determine if custom web server is configured
    Check whether a separate web server (IIS, Apache, or nginx) is installed in front of the Portal for ArcGIS, or if non-default HTTP ports/path mappings are in use beyond the default 7443 port
    Affected if A non-default web server configuration exists in front of the Portal
  3. Inspect web server path handling
    Review the web server configuration files (IIS web.config, Apache httpd.conf, or nginx.conf) for any URL rewrite rules or mappings that handle incoming requests to the Portal endpoint
    Affected if Custom URL rewrite rules or path mappings are configured that could permit traversal sequences
  4. Verify default Portal endpoint behavior
    Test accessing the default Portal REST services endpoint and confirm whether the web server layer properly sanitizes path traversal sequences like ../ in requested URLs
    Affected if The web server layer does not block or sanitize path traversal sequences

A user is affected only if their Portal for ArcGIS version is 10.9.1 or below AND they have a non-default installation configuration (custom web server or non-standard path mappings) that allows path traversal sequences to reach outside the web root.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 10.9.1
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor patches for Esri Portal for ArcGIS above version 10.9.1; additionally, review non-default installation configurations and implement strict input validation on file path parameters.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Portal for ArcGIS 10.9.1 or later - upgrade to the latest available stable release (10.9.2 or later if available)

  1. 1. Verify current Portal for ArcGIS installation version through the Portal Administrator Directory or system information.
  2. 2. Schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade process.
  3. 3. Back up the Portal for ArcGIS configuration, content, and database before proceeding.
  4. 4. Download the latest Portal for ArcGIS release from the Esri Customer Care Portal or official distribution channels.
  5. 5. Follow Esri's standard upgrade documentation for Portal for ArcGIS, ensuring all prerequisites are met.
  6. 6. Run the upgrade installer and verify successful completion.
  7. 7. Validate that the Portal for ArcGIS services start correctly and the administrator directory is accessible.
  8. 8. Confirm the vulnerability is remediated by verifying the directory traversal is no longer possible.
Caveat Standard upgrade risks apply: ensure backup of configuration and content, test in staging environment first, and review Esri upgrade documentation for any configuration changes or migration requirements

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
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,880
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,808.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-38205 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2022-38205 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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