CVE-2022-38206
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 · uneditedThere is a reflected XSS vulnerability in Esri Portal for ArcGIS versions 10.9.1 and below which may allow a remote remote, unauthenticated attacker to create a crafted link which when clicked could 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 · moderate confidenceReflected XSS vulnerability in Esri Portal for ArcGIS versions 10.9.1 and below allows remote unauthenticated attackers to inject malicious JavaScript via crafted links. When victims click these links, the arbitrary JavaScript executes in their browser session.
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<= 10.9.1CVSS 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.
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Determine installed Portal for ArcGIS versionAccess the ArcGIS Portal Administrator Directory (typically at https://<hostname>/portal/portaladmin) or check the About page in the Portal website. The version is displayed in the product information or system properties.Affected if The displayed version is 10.9.1 or any version lower than 10.9.1 (e.g., 10.9, 10.8.1, 10.8, etc.)
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Verify portal is accessible over networkConfirm that the Esri Portal for ArcGIS web interface is reachable from external or untrusted networks. Test HTTP/HTTPS access to the portal URL from a non-trusted network location.Affected if The portal is accessible without authentication from untrusted networks, allowing remote attackers to deliver crafted malicious links to victims.
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Identify vulnerable endpoint exposureSince this is a reflected XSS, review web traffic logs or proxy logs for suspicious URL parameters that may contain script tags or encoded payloads. Use a web application scanner or manually review URL patterns in the portal's HTTP access logs for unauthenticated requests containing characters like <script>, javascript:, or onload/onerror event handlers.Affected if Unauthenticated HTTP requests to the portal contain reflected parameters with unsanitized user input that could execute arbitrary JavaScript in a victim's browser.
Your environment is affected if your installed Esri Portal for ArcGIS version is 10.9.1 or below AND the portal web interface is accessible to unauthenticated remote users who could be tricked into clicking malicious crafted links.
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.
dbcve · scopedApply Esri's vendor patch or upgrade to a version above 10.9.1; alternatively, implement input validation and output encoding on the vulnerable endpoint to neutralize script injection.
Portal for ArcGIS 10.9.2 or later (latest stable release)
- 1. Navigate to the Esri Support website (support.esri.com) or your organization's Esri customer portal
- 2. Locate the security patches or latest releases for Portal for ArcGIS
- 3. Download and apply the latest available security update for Portal for ArcGIS that addresses CVE-2022-38206
- 4. After applying the patch, clear browser caches and test the fix by attempting to reproduce the XSS vector
- 5. Verify that the Portal for ArcGIS services are functioning normally post-patch
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 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-2022-38206 — 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-2022-38206 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data