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GeoserverApplication

CVE-2023-41877

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-03-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.23.4 or later.
See remediation →
78/100
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
GeoServer is an open source software server written in Java that allows users to share and edit geospatial data. A path traversal vulnerability in versions 2.23.4 and prior requires GeoServer Administrator with access to the admin console to misconfigure the Global Settings for log file location to an arbitrary location. The admin console GeoServer Logs page provides a preview of these contents. As this issue requires GeoServer administrators access, often representing a trusted party, the vulnerability has not received a patch as of time of publication. As a workaround, a system administrator responsible for running GeoServer can use the `GEOSERVER_LOG_FILE` setting to override any configuration option provided by the Global Settings page. The `GEOSERVER_LOG_LOCATION` parameter can be set as system property, environment variables, or servlet context parameters.

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

GeoServer versions 2.23.4 and prior contain a path traversal vulnerability where an authenticated administrator can misconfigure the Global Settings for log file location to access arbitrary files on the server filesystem, which are then viewable through the admin console's GeoServer Logs page preview feature.

MitigationImplement the GEOSERVER_LOG_FILE or GEOSERVER_LOG_LOCATION parameter as a system property, environment variable, or servlet context parameter to override any malicious configuration set through the Global Settings page.

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
GeoserverApplication
Affected:<= 2.23.4

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

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

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

  1. Determine your GeoServer version
    Access the GeoServer admin interface and navigate to 'About > GeoServer' or use the REST API endpoint /geoserver/rest/about/version.xml to retrieve the installed version number
    Affected if The installed version is 2.23.4 or any version prior to 2.23.4 (2.23.x series, 2.22.x series, or earlier)
  2. Verify admin interface accessibility
    Check if the GeoServer admin console is accessible from untrusted networks by attempting to reach /geoserver/web/ or by reviewing network firewall rules and reverse proxy configurations
    Affected if The admin interface is accessible to users who are not trusted administrators, increasing the attack surface
  3. Review Global Settings log configuration
    Log in as an administrator and navigate to 'Settings > Global' to inspect the 'Log file location' setting, or examine the $GEOSERVER_DATA_DIR/global.xml configuration file for the <logFileLocation> element
    Affected if The log file location is set to a path outside the expected logs directory (e.g., contains ../ sequences or points to sensitive system directories like /etc, /var, or /home)
  4. Check for suspicious log file paths in configuration
    Search the GeoServer configuration files (particularly global.xml) and the database for any logFileLocation entries that contain path traversal patterns such as '../', '..\', or reference system directories outside the GeoServer data directory
    Affected if Any logFileLocation value contains path traversal characters or references files outside the intended logs directory

You are affected if running GeoServer version 2.23.4 or earlier AND the admin interface is accessible to an authenticated administrator who can modify Global Settings, particularly if the log file location contains unexpected paths.

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 2.23.4
Interim mitigation

Implement the GEOSERVER_LOG_FILE or GEOSERVER_LOG_LOCATION parameter as a system property, environment variable, or servlet context parameter to override any malicious configuration set through the Global Settings page.

Recommended fix High confidence
  1. Identify the method used to start/configure your GeoServer instance (systemd service, startup script, Docker, or servlet container)
  2. Set the GEOSERVER_LOG_FILE or GEOSERVER_LOG_LOCATION environment variable, system property, or servlet context parameter to a secure directory path that is within the GeoServer data directory or a restricted location
  3. For system property: Add -DGEOSERVER_LOG_FILE=/path/to/secure/logs/geoserver.log to the Java startup options
  4. For environment variable: Add GEOSERVER_LOG_LOCATION=/path/to/secure/logs to the process environment
  5. For servlet context: Configure in web.xml or context.xml with a <context-param> for GEOSERVER_LOG_LOCATION
  6. Restart GeoServer to apply the configuration changes
  7. Verify that the log file is being written to the configured secure location and that the GeoServer admin console logs page reflects the new path

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

Fix this in Geoserver Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
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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-2023-41877 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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