CVE-2022-38201 in Portal for ArcGIS Quick Capture Web Designer
Summary
by MITRE • 11/16/2022
An unvalidated redirect vulnerability exists in Esri Portal for ArcGIS Quick Capture Web Designer versions 10.8.1 to 10.9.1. A remote, unauthenticated attacker can potentially induce an unsuspecting authenticated user to access an an attacker controlled domain.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/22/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-38201 represents a critical unvalidated redirect flaw within Esri Portal for ArcGIS Quick Capture Web Designer versions 10.8.1 through 10.9.1. This security weakness falls under the category of insecure redirection vulnerabilities that have been systematically catalogued by the Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) as CWE-601, specifically addressing URL redirection to untrusted sites. The vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly validate and sanitize redirect parameters, allowing malicious actors to craft deceptive links that appear legitimate to end users while directing them to attacker-controlled domains. The flaw exists in the web designer component of Esri's ArcGIS platform, which is widely used for creating mobile data collection applications in field operations and geographic information systems.
Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by crafting malicious URLs that contain redirect parameters pointing to malicious domains, potentially leading to phishing attacks, credential theft, or malware distribution. The unauthenticated nature of the attack means that no prior access or credentials are required to initiate the exploit, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users may be诱导 to click on seemingly legitimate links. The vulnerability specifically targets authenticated users who are already logged into the Quick Capture Web Designer environment, creating a sophisticated social engineering attack vector where users are unknowingly redirected to malicious sites that appear to be part of the legitimate ArcGIS ecosystem. This type of attack aligns with the tactics described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1566 technique for "Phishing" and the T1071.004 sub-technique for "Application Layer Protocol: DNS" when the malicious redirect leads to DNS-based attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft, as it can compromise the integrity of field data collection operations and potentially expose sensitive geographic information to unauthorized parties. Organizations using Esri Portal for ArcGIS Quick Capture in critical infrastructure monitoring, emergency response, or environmental data collection may face significant operational risks when this vulnerability is exploited. The attack vector typically involves sending crafted links through email, messaging platforms, or compromised websites to authenticated users, who upon clicking the links are redirected to malicious domains without proper validation. This vulnerability affects organizations that rely on mobile data collection processes, where field workers may be more susceptible to social engineering attacks due to their operational environment and limited ability to verify link legitimacy while in the field. The vulnerability also represents a significant risk to enterprise security posture, as successful exploitation can lead to further lateral movement within networks and potential data breaches of sensitive spatial information assets.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including applying the latest security patches from Esri, implementing network-level controls to block access to known malicious domains, and establishing user education programs focused on recognizing suspicious redirects. The implementation of proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms should be enforced throughout the application's redirect handling processes, following security best practices outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and the Secure Coding guidelines. Network administrators should consider implementing web application firewalls and content filtering solutions to detect and block malicious redirect attempts, while also monitoring for unusual traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should conduct regular security assessments of their ArcGIS implementations and ensure that all components are updated to the latest secure versions, as this vulnerability specifically affects a narrow range of versions and can be resolved through proper patch management procedures. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of implementing proper security controls in mobile data collection environments where users may have limited ability to verify the legitimacy of web resources they encounter during field operations.