CVE-2024-25709 is a stored Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in Esri Portal for ArcGIS versions 11.2 and below. This vulnerability arises from improper neutralization of input during web page generation (CWE-79), allowing an authenticated attacker with high privileges to craft a malicious link. This link can be saved as a new location when moving an existing item within the portal. When a victim subsequently accesses this crafted location, arbitrary JavaScript code embedded in the link executes in the victim's browser context. The vulnerability requires authentication and elevated privileges, which limits the attacker scope to users with significant access rights. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 6.1 (medium severity), reflecting the network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required for exploitation (note: the description states high privileges required, so the CVSS vector may have some discrepancy), requirement for user interaction, and impact limited to confidentiality and integrity with no availability impact. Exploitation could lead to session hijacking, unauthorized actions on behalf of the victim, or data leakage within the portal environment. No known exploits are reported in the wild as of the publication date. The vulnerability affects all versions up to 11.2, indicating a broad impact on organizations using this GIS portal software. Esri Portal for ArcGIS is widely used for geographic information system (GIS) data management and sharing, often in government, utilities, and critical infrastructure sectors.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk especially to entities relying on Esri Portal for ArcGIS for spatial data collaboration and management. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive geospatial data, manipulation of portal content, or execution of malicious scripts that compromise user sessions. This can undermine data integrity and confidentiality, potentially affecting decision-making processes in sectors such as urban planning, transportation, environmental monitoring, and emergency response. Given the high privileges required to exploit the vulnerability, insider threats or compromised privileged accounts are the most likely attack vectors. The cross-site scripting attack could also be leveraged to pivot to further attacks within the network if combined with other vulnerabilities or social engineering. The impact is heightened in regulated sectors subject to GDPR and other data protection laws, where data breaches can result in heavy fines and reputational damage.

1. Immediate application of vendor patches or updates once available is critical. Since no patch links are provided yet, organizations should monitor Esri advisories closely. 2. Restrict and audit high-privilege accounts to minimize the risk of insider threats or account compromise. 3. Implement strict input validation and output encoding on all user-generated content within the portal environment to prevent injection of malicious scripts. 4. Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts in browsers accessing the portal. 5. Conduct regular security awareness training for users with elevated privileges to recognize phishing and social engineering attempts that could lead to account compromise. 6. Monitor portal logs for unusual activities related to item movement or creation of new locations that could indicate exploitation attempts. 7. Consider network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of the portal to only trusted users and networks. 8. Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all privileged accounts to reduce the risk of unauthorized access.