GHSA-h86g-x8mm-78m5 CVE-2025-27505
GeoServer Missing Authorization on REST API Index
- Severity
- 5.3 / 10
- Medium · CVSS 3.1
- Exploit chance (EPSS)
- 1.15%
- Chance of exploitation in the next 30 days. Higher than 66.96% of scored vulnerabilities.
- Known exploited
- No
- Not in CISA's catalog
- Weakness
- CWE-862 Missing Authorization
- Fix
- Available
- 2 packages have a fixed version
Description
Summary
It is possible to bypass the default REST API security and access the index page.
Details
The REST API security handles rest and its subpaths but not rest with an extension (e.g., rest.html).
Impact
The REST API index can disclose whether certain extensions are installed.
Workaround
In ${GEOSERVER_DATA_DIR}/security/config.xml, change the paths for the rest filter to /rest.*,/rest/** and change the paths for the gwc filter to /gwc/rest.*,/gwc/rest/** and restart GeoServer.
References
https://osgeo-org.atlassian.net/browse/GEOS-11664
https://osgeo-org.atlassian.net/browse/GEOS-11776
https://github.com/geoserver/geoserver/pull/8170
Affected versions
Maven
| Package | Vulnerable | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| org.geoserver.web:gs-web-app | >= 2.26.0, < 2.26.3 |
2.26.3 |
| org.geoserver.web:gs-web-app | < 2.25.6 |
2.25.6 |
| org.geoserver:gs-rest | >= 2.26.0, < 2.26.3 |
2.26.3 |
| org.geoserver:gs-rest | < 2.25.6 |
2.25.6 |
How to fix
Move to the fixed version or later with your package manager, update the lockfile, and run your tests. If the package only arrives through another dependency, upgrade that dependency first. If none of its releases pulls a fixed version yet, force the version with your package manager's override.
org.geoserver.web:gs-web-app Maven → 2.26.3
- maven
<dependency><groupId>org.geoserver.web</groupId><artifactId>gs-web-app</artifactId><version>2.26.3</version></dependency>- gradle
implementation("org.geoserver.web:gs-web-app:2.26.3")
org.geoserver:gs-rest Maven → 2.26.3
- maven
<dependency><groupId>org.geoserver</groupId><artifactId>gs-rest</artifactId><version>2.26.3</version></dependency>- gradle
implementation("org.geoserver:gs-rest:2.26.3")
Severity breakdown
CVSS 3.1 5.3
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
Weakness
CWE-862: Missing Authorization
The product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action.
How to prevent it
- Architecture and Design: Divide the product into anonymous, normal, privileged, and administrative areas. Reduce the attack surface by carefully mapping roles with data and functionality. Use role-based access control (RBAC) [REF-229] to enforce the roles at the appropriate boundaries. Note that this approach may not protect against horizontal authorization, i.e., it will not protect a user from attacking others with the same role.
- Architecture and Design: Ensure that access control checks are performed related to the business logic. These checks may be different than the access control checks that are applied to more generic resources such as files, connections, processes, memory, and database records. For example, a database may restrict access for medical records to a specific database user, but each record might only be intended to be accessible to the patient and the patient's doctor [REF-7].
- Architecture and Design: Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. For example, consider using authorization frameworks such as the JAAS Authorization Framework [REF-233] and the OWASP ESAPI Access Control feature [REF-45].
- Architecture and Design: For web applications, make sure that the access control mechanism is enforced correctly at the server side on every page. Users should not be able to access any unauthorized functionality or information by simply requesting direct access to that page. One way to do this is to ensure that all pages containing sensitive information are not cached, and that all such pages restrict access to requests that are accompanied by an active and authenticated session token associated with a user who has the required permissions to access that page.
- System Configuration, Installation: Use the access control capabilities of your operating system and server environment and define your access control lists accordingly. Use a "default deny" policy when defining these ACLs.
References
Advisories
Packages
Other links
Timeline
- Published
- Last updated by the source
- Latest EPSS score
Related advisories
| Advisory | Severity | Why it's related |
|---|---|---|
| GHSA-fjf5-xgmq-5525 GeoServer is vulnerable to Unauthenticated XML External Entities (XXE) attack via WMS GetMap feature | Critical Known exploited | Also affects org.geoserver.web:gs-web-app |
| GHSA-6jj6-gm7p-fcvv Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability in geoserver | Critical Known exploited | Also affects org.geoserver.web:gs-web-app |
| GHSA-wf6j-gr27-g7ch GeoServer has a Server-Side Template Injection (SSTI) vulnerability in processing FreeMarker templates | High | Also affects org.geoserver.web:gs-web-app |
| GHSA-x4r9-gmw3-hxww GeoServer has a Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) Vulnerability in its XML Entity Resolution | High | Also affects org.geoserver.web:gs-web-app |
| GHSA-7qmg-grcp-qf25 GeoServer has an arbitrary file write vulnerability in its Master Password Dump Page | High | Also affects org.geoserver.web:gs-web-app |
| GHSA-w66h-j855-qr72 GeoServer has a Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in its WMS GetFeatureInfo HTML format | Medium | Also affects org.geoserver.web:gs-web-app |
| GHSA-jj54-8f66-c5pc [XBOW-025-068] XML External Entity (XXE) Processing Vulnerability in GeoServer WFS Service | Critical | Also affects org.geoserver.web:gs-web-app |
| GHSA-gr67-pwcv-76gf GeoServer Infinite Loop Vulnerability in Jiffle process | High | Also affects org.geoserver.web:gs-web-app |
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