CVE-2023-51444GeoServer arbitrary file upload vulnerability in REST Coverage Store API
- 7.2HighCVSS base score
- 1.9%Exploitation in 30 daysEPSS · top 20% of all CVEs
- NoKnown exploitednot in CISA's KEV catalog
- YesPublic exploitsa reference or SSVC says so
Description
GeoServer is an open source software server written in Java that allows users to share and edit geospatial data. An arbitrary file upload vulnerability exists in versions prior to 2.23.4 and 2.24.1 that enables an authenticated administrator with permissions to modify coverage stores through the REST Coverage Store API to upload arbitrary file contents to arbitrary file locations which can lead to remote code execution. Coverage stores that are configured using relative paths use a GeoServer Resource implementation that has validation to prevent path traversal but coverage stores that are configured using absolute paths use a different Resource implementation that does not prevent path traversal. This vulnerability can lead to executing arbitrary code. An administrator with limited privileges could also potentially exploit this to overwrite GeoServer security files and obtain full administrator privileges. Versions 2.23.4 and 2.24.1 contain a fix for this issue.
Public exploit
An exploit or proof of concept is public: anyone can try it against an unpatched system. CISA's SSVC rates its exploitation: a proof of concept is public.
Timeline
ID reserved
By GitHub_M
- 3 months later
· 3 months later
Published
- 5 months later
· 5 months later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub_MCNA (assigner) | 3.1 | High7.2 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| NVDNVD · Analyzed | 3.1 | High7.2 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 1.9% · top 20% of all CVEs (13 Nov 2026)
- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation: poc · Automatable: no · Technical impact: total
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: High 7.2.
Affected products
Affected packages
From reviewed advisories of the GitHub Advisory Database.
- Mavenorg.geoserver:gs-platformGHSA-9v5q-2gwq-q9hq (opens in a new tab)
- Mavenorg.geoserver:gs-restconfigGHSA-9v5q-2gwq-q9hq (opens in a new tab)
References
References5
- https://github.com/geoserver/geoserver/security/advisories/GHSA-9v5q-2gwq-q9hq (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRMx_transferred
- https://github.com/geoserver/geoserver/pull/7222 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- https://github.com/geoserver/geoserver/commit/ca683170c669718cb6ad4c79e01b0451065e13b8 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- https://github.com/geoserver/geoserver/commit/fe235b3bb1d7f05751a4a2ef5390c36f5c9e78ae (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- https://osgeo-org.atlassian.net/browse/GEOS-11176 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- EUVD EUVD-2024-0890 (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-9v5q-2gwq-q9hq (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://cveledger.app/cve/CVE-2023-51444)Record last updated .