dbcve.org
Fme ServerApplication · Safe

CVE-2023-35801

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-06-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2022.2.5 or later.
See remediation →
87/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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
A directory traversal vulnerability in Safe Software FME Server before 2022.2.5 allows an attacker to bypass validation when editing a network-based resource connection, resulting in the unauthorized reading and writing of arbitrary files. Successful exploitation requires an attacker to have access to a user account with write privileges. FME Flow 2023.0 is also a fixed version.

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 directory traversal vulnerability in Safe Software FME Server allows authenticated users with write privileges to bypass validation when editing network-based resource connections, enabling unauthorized reading and writing of arbitrary files on the host system.

MitigationUpgrade to FME Server 2022.2.5 or later, or FME Flow 2023.0. Restrict user account privileges and monitor for suspicious file access patterns in network resource connections.

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
Fme ServerApplication
Affected:< 2022.2.5

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 FME Server installation
    Locate FME Server installation directory, typically under C:\Program Files\Safe Software\FME Server (Windows) or /opt/fme-server (Linux). Check for fme-server.exe or fme-server processes running as a service.
    Affected if FME Server is installed and running
  2. Check installed FME Server version
    In the FME Server web interface, navigate to Administration > Server Statistics > About, or check the version file in the installation directory (version.txt or similar). Compare the version number to 2022.2.5.
    Affected if Version is lower than 2022.2.5 (e.g., 2022.2.4, 2022.1, 2021.x, etc.)
  3. Identify network-based resource connections
    In FME Server web interface, go to Resources > Manage Connections or navigate to the Network Connections configuration panel. Look for connections configured with network paths (UNC paths like \\server\share or mapped network drives).
    Affected if Network resource connections are configured and actively used
  4. Verify user privileges on resource connections
    In FME Server, go to Administration > Users and Groups. Check which users or groups have Write or Administrator privileges on resource connections. Look for users assigned to roles with write access to Resources.
    Affected if Users with write privileges exist and can access resource connection configuration

A user is affected if FME Server version is below 2022.2.5 AND network resource connections are configured with users having write access.

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 2022.2.5 or later
Fixed in 2022.2.5
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to FME Server 2022.2.5 or later, or FME Flow 2023.0. Restrict user account privileges and monitor for suspicious file access patterns in network resource connections.

Recommended fix High confidence

FME Server 2022.2.5 or FME Flow 2023.0 (recommended)

  1. 1. Verify current FME Server version by accessing the FME Server Web Interface and checking the About section or checking the installed version via the system
  2. 2. Back up the FME Server configuration, databases, and any custom resources before proceeding with the upgrade
  3. 3. Download FME Server version 2022.2.5 or 2023.0 (the latest fixed version) from the Safe Software downloads portal at downloads.safe.com
  4. 4. Stop the FME Server services to ensure a clean upgrade process
  5. 5. Run the FME Server installer for the chosen fixed version (2022.2.5 or 2023.0)
  6. 6. Follow the on-screen installation prompts, selecting the upgrade option to preserve existing configurations
  7. 7. After installation completes, start the FME Server services
  8. 8. Verify the upgrade was successful by logging into the FME Server Web Interface and confirming the version number
Caveat Review FME Server 2022.2.5 and 2023.0 release notes for any feature changes or deprecations that may affect existing workflows; upgrading across major versions may require configuration adjustments

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

Fix this in Fme Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-35801 — 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-2023-35801 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