CVE-2024-34711: GeoServer has improper ENTITY_RESOLUTION_ALLOWLIST URI validation in XML Processing (SSRF)

Should you act?

Critical and remotely reachable

No known exploitation yet, but it is network-reachable without credentials. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.

• No confirmed exploitation. It is not in CISA’s KEV catalog and CISA’s SSVC assessment records no known exploitation. That can change quickly after a public write-up; re-check if you are affected.
• EPSS 0.3%, percentile 21: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.3% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 21% of all scored CVEs (low). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
• Remotely reachable with no login and no user interaction. If the vulnerable service is exposed to the internet, prioritize it.
• Only applies if your dependency tree includes org.geoserver.web:gs-web-app (Maven) < 2.25.0, fixed in 2.25.0; org.geoserver.main:gs-main (Maven) < 2.25.0, fixed in 2.25.0. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.

What it is

GeoServer is an open source server that allows users to share and edit geospatial data. An improper URI validation vulnerability exists that enables an unauthorized attacker to perform XML External Entities (XEE) attack, then send GET request to any HTTP server. By default, GeoServer use PreventLocalEntityResolver class from GeoTools to filter out malicious URIs in XML entities before resolving them. The URI must match the regex (?i)(jar:file|http|vfs)[^?#;]\\.xsd. But the regex leaves a chance for attackers to request to any HTTP server or limited file. Attacker can abuse this to scan internal networks and gain information about them then exploit further. GeoServer 2.25.0 and greater default to the use of ENTITYRESOLUTIONALLOWLIST and does not require you to provide a system property.

From the GitHub advisory

Summary An improper URI validation vulnerability exists that enables an unauthorized attacker to perform XML External Entities (XEE) attack, then send GET request to any HTTP server. Attacker can abuse this to scan internal networks and gain information about them then exploit further. Moreover, attacker can read limited .xsd file on system.

Details By default, GeoServer use PreventLocalEntityResolver class from GeoTools to filter out malicious URIs in XML entities before resolving them. The URI must match the regex (?i)(jar:file|http|vfs)[^?#;]\\.xsd. But the regex leaves a chance for attackers to request to any HTTP server or limited file.

Impact

An unauthenticated attacker can: 1. Scan internal network to gain insight about it and exploit further. 2. SSRF to endpoint ends with .xsd. 3. Read limited .xsd file on system.

Mitigation

Weakness type: CWE-200, CWE-611, CWE-918, CWE-20.

Product: org.geoserver.web:gs-web-app (Maven) · Assigned by: GitHub_M · Published: 2025-06-10

Affected and fixed versions

Severity scores

• Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
• Attack complexity: low
• Privileges required: none (no login)
• User interaction: none
• Scope: changed (can affect other components)

CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.

Exploitation and urgency

• CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
• CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none, automatable yes, technical impact partial.
• FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.30% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 21.

Timeline

• 2025-06-10 — CVE record last updated
• 2025-06-10 — CVE record published by GitHub_M
• 2025-06-10 — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-mc43-4fqr-c965 published (critical)

Sources and references

Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.

Vulnerability records

1. GitHub Advisory GHSA-mc43-4fqr-c965 github.com
2. CVE.org record CVE-2024-34711 cve.org
3. NVD entry CVE-2024-34711 nvd.nist.gov

Other references from the CVE record and advisory

1. github.com github.com
2. docs.geoserver.org docs.geoserver.org

Critical Maven advisories · Today’s Security Digest