# CVE-2022-38196: BUG-000150537 - ArcGIS Server has a local file inclusion (LFI) vulnerability

> A remote authenticated attacker can exploit a path traversal flaw in ArcGIS Server to overwrite internal directories, causing denial of service.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 25 Oct 2022
- **Updated:** 10 Apr 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-pc79-p8f4-vrv5

## What is CVE-2022-38196?

CVE-2022-38196 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Esri Arcgis Server, published on 25 Oct 2022. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Esri ArcGIS Server versions 10.9.1 and prior have a path traversal vulnerability that may result in a denial of service by allowing a remote, authenticated attacker to overwrite internal ArcGIS Server directory.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-38196?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Esri Arcgis Server.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-38196?

No fix has been published for CVE-2022-38196 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2022-38196 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-38196 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Esri Arcgis Server

- [CVE-2025-57870](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-57870/): BUG-000179884 - There is a security vulnerability in ArcGIS Server Feature Services. (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2026-9181](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-9181/): Directory Traversal in ArcGIS Server (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2026-9182](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-9182/): Unvalidated File Upload vulnerability in ArcGIS Server. (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2020-35712](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-35712/): Server-side request forgery in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2021-29102](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-29102/): There is a Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in Esri ArcGIS Server Manager version 10.8.1 and below. (critical 9.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-38196 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-38196 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Esri Arcgis Server, published on 25 Oct 2022. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-38196 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Esri Arcgis Server. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-38196/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-38196/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-38196
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-38196
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-38196

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-38196/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.