Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
ArcGIS Server 11.0 and earlier can store malicious content that runs JavaScript in a user’s browser when clicked. The attack is remote and unauthenticated, but requires user interaction and affects browser-side confidentiality and integrity rather than server availability.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate-priority web application risk. Prioritize externally reachable ArcGIS deployments because unauthenticated content creation can lead to browser-side compromise after user interaction.
Technical view
CVE-2023-25841 is a stored cross-site scripting issue in Esri ArcGIS Server on Windows and Linux. A remote unauthenticated attacker may create crafted content that, if clicked by a victim, executes arbitrary JavaScript in that victim’s browser. CVSS is 6.1, CWE-79.
Likely exposure
Organizations running Esri ArcGIS Server 11.0 or below, especially where anonymous users can edit ArcGIS Feature services, are the most likely exposed population.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation evidence. Practical exploitation requires crafted stored content and a victim click, reducing immediacy but leaving risk for public or partner-facing GIS portals.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports stored XSS with UI-required execution and changed scope in CVSS. The provided sources name the mitigation and vendor patch advisory, but do not include exploit telemetry or detailed patch applicability in the bundle.
Mitigation direction
- Disable anonymous access to editable ArcGIS Feature services.
- Review and apply Esri’s ArcGIS Server Security 2023 Update 1 patch guidance.
- Restrict edit permissions to trusted authenticated users.
- Prioritize internet-facing ArcGIS Server instances first.
Validation and detection
- Inventory ArcGIS Server versions and confirm any 11.0-or-earlier systems.
- Identify Feature services with edit capabilities enabled.
- Confirm anonymous users cannot create or modify editable Feature service content.
- Verify Esri patch status against the vendor advisory.
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-2023-25841 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
- 6.1 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N2.82.7Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.1MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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.