CVE-2024-36401: OSGeo GeoServer GeoTools Eval Injection Vulnerability

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2024-36401 is a critical (CVSS 9.8) Eval Injection vulnerability in OSGeo GeoServer. It is known to be exploited: CISA lists it, first on 15-07-2024. EPSS estimates a 99.81% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 99.9% of scored vulnerabilities. 4 public exploits are recorded.

Timeline

1. 01-07-2024
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 15-07-2024
   Added to CISA KEVOSGeo GeoServer GeoTools Eval Injection Vulnerability
3. 05-08-2024
   CISA remediation dueApply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
4. 21-10-2025
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

GeoServer is an open source server that allows users to share and edit geospatial data. Prior to versions 2.22.6, 2.23.6, 2.24.4, and 2.25.2, multiple OGC request parameters allow Remote Code Execution (RCE) by unauthenticated users through specially crafted input against a default GeoServer installation due to unsafely evaluating property names as XPath expressions. The GeoTools library API that GeoServer calls evaluates property/attribute names for feature types in a way that unsafely passes them to the commons-jxpath library which can execute arbitrary code when evaluating XPath expressions. This XPath evaluation is intended to be used only by complex feature types (i.e., Application Schema data stores) but is incorrectly being applied to simple feature types as well which makes this vulnerability apply to **ALL** GeoServer instances. No public PoC is provided but this vulnerability has been confirmed to be exploitable through WFS GetFeature, WFS GetPropertyValue, WMS GetMap, WMS GetFeatureInfo, WMS GetLegendGraphic and WPS Execute requests. This vulnerability can lead to executing arbitrary code. Versions 2.22.6, 2.23.6, 2.24.4, and 2.25.2 contain a patch for the issue. A workaround exists by removing the `gt-complex-x.y.jar` file from the GeoServer where `x.y` is the GeoTools version (e.g., `gt-complex-31.1.jar` if running GeoServer 2.25.1). This will remove the vulnerable code from GeoServer but may break some GeoServer functionality or prevent GeoServer from deploying if the gt-complex module is needed.

• CWE-95Improper Neutralization of Directives in Dynamically Evaluated Code ('Eval Injection')The product receives input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes code syntax before using the input in a dynamic evaluation call (e.g. "eval").
• CWE-94Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')The product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment.