Overview
In this post, we will be examining CVE-2025-4967, a serious vulnerability discovered in Esri Portal for ArcGIS 11.4 and earlier versions. The vulnerability has been identified as a Server Side Request Forgery (SSRF) protection bypass. This vulnerability is of paramount concern given that it allows a remote, unauthenticated attacker to potentially compromise a system or leak data. As such, it poses a significant threat to organizations that utilize Esri Portal for ArcGIS in their operations.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-4967
Severity: Critical (9.1 CVSS score)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: System compromise and potential data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Esri Portal for ArcGIS | 11.4 and prior
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to send crafted requests to the affected system. These malicious requests can bypass the SSRF protections implemented in Esri Portal for ArcGIS. Once these protections are bypassed, the attacker can send internal requests within the network, potentially accessing sensitive internal resources or even executing commands on the server.
Conceptual Example Code
Given the nature of this vulnerability, an exploit could look something like this:
GET /internal/resource HTTP/1.1
Host: vulnerable-esri-portal.example.com
X-Forwarded-For: attacker-controlled-ipIn this hypothetical request, the `X-Forwarded-For` header is used to manipulate the server’s SSRF protection mechanism. With the right IP, an attacker can bypass the SSRF protection and access internal resources.
Mitigation and Recommendations
Esri has released a patch to address this vulnerability. All users are strongly advised to update their systems to the latest version of Esri Portal for ArcGIS. In situations where immediate patching is not feasible, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as a temporary mitigation measure. These systems can potentially detect and block malicious requests aiming to exploit this vulnerability.
In the long term, organizations should consider implementing a robust vulnerability management process. This process should include regular patching and updates, continuous monitoring for new vulnerabilities, and swift response to identified threats. This can greatly reduce the potential for successful exploitation and the resultant impact on the organization.