CVE-2023-25835
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 stored Cross‑Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Esri Portal for ArcGIS Sites versions 11.1 and below that may allow a remote, authenticated attacker with high‑privileged access to create a crafted link that is persisted within the site configuration. When accessed by a victim, the stored payload may execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the victim’s browser. Successful exploitation could allow the attacker to access sensitive user data and session information, alter trusted site content and user actions, and disrupt normal site functionality, resulting in a high impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
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 confidenceStored XSS vulnerability in Esri Portal for ArcGIS Sites allows authenticated high-privileged attackers to inject malicious JavaScript through crafted links that persist in site configuration. When victims access the affected content, the payload executes in their browser context, enabling session hijacking and data theft.
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>= 10.8.1, <= 11.1CVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 installed Portal for ArcGIS versionLog in to the ArcGIS Portal Administrator Directory (typically at https://<server>:7443/arcgis/portal/admin) and navigate to System > Properties > Update Properties, or check the About page in the Portal website. Alternatively, check the installation directory or version file on the server.Affected if The installed version falls within 10.8.1 through 11.1 inclusive.
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Confirm Sites functionality is in useAccess the Portal for ArcGIS website as an administrator and navigate to the Organization settings or Content page to verify that Sites have been created or configured.Affected if Sites have been created or configured in the Portal environment.
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Review site configuration for suspicious linksIn the Portal website, access each Site's configuration (typically via Edit > Settings > or the design interface) and inspect all hyperlink fields, navigation menus, banner links, and embedded content for unfamiliar or malicious-looking URLs, especially those containing javascript: or unusual script fragments.Affected if Any Site contains hyperlinks with suspicious payloads, unusual script directives, or unrecognized external URLs.
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Audit administrative activity logsIn the ArcGIS Portal Administrator Directory, navigate to Logs > Query and filter for events related to site creation, site updates, or item modifications performed by high-privileged users. Look for actions from users who did not create expected sites or who added content outside normal workflows.Affected if Logs show unexpected site modifications by high-privileged accounts or creation of sites with unusual configuration content.
A user is affected if Portal for ArcGIS is version 10.8.1 through 11.1 and has Sites configured, with malicious script content persisting in site configuration that could execute in victim browsers.
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 dataUpgrade to Esri Portal for ArcGIS version 11.2 or later; until then, restrict high-privileged user permissions and monitor administrative activity for suspicious link creation.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-25835 — 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-2023-25835 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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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