Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
A logged-in low-privilege user could create a malicious link in Esri Portal for ArcGIS Sites. If another user clicks it, JavaScript could run in that user’s browser. This is a browser-side compromise risk, not evidence of server takeover.
Executive priority
Treat as a timely patching and access-control issue. It is not marked as exploited, but it can affect trusted browser sessions and Portal content integrity if vulnerable Sites deployments remain exposed.
Technical view
CVE-2023-25836 is a CWE-79 cross-site scripting issue in Esri Portal for ArcGIS Sites 10.9 and below. CVSS 3.1 is 5.4, with network access, low attack complexity, low privileges, required user interaction, changed scope, and low confidentiality and integrity impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most relevant for organizations running Esri Portal for ArcGIS Sites, especially versions 10.9 and below, where authenticated users can create or share Sites content or links.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not show KEV listing or active exploitation evidence. Exploitation requires an authenticated attacker and a victim clicking a crafted link, so risk depends heavily on user roles, trust boundaries, and patch status.
Researcher notes
The public bundle identifies XSS in Sites builder iframe source behavior but does not provide payload details. Affected metadata is limited; validate scope with Esri’s advisory. Avoid assuming exploitation, broader ArcGIS components, or fixes beyond the named Esri security patch.
Mitigation direction
- Apply Esri’s Portal for ArcGIS Enterprise Sites security patch or current vendor guidance.
- Inventory Portal for ArcGIS Sites deployments and versions.
- Limit Sites content creation to trusted users where possible.
- Review user roles that can create or publish Sites content.
- Warn users about unexpected Portal links until remediation is complete.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether Portal for ArcGIS Sites is deployed.
- Verify deployed versions against the Esri advisory.
- Check whether the Esri security patch is installed.
- Review recent Sites content changes by low-privilege users.
- Look for unusual Portal links reported by users.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-79: User-session and phishing behavior lookup
Client-side and session-facing weaknesses should be reviewed alongside initial-access and user-execution behaviors. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2023-25836 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 5.4 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N2.32.7Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.4MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Source materials
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.