CVE-2024-24749: 
Java vulnerability analysis and mitigation

GeoServer, an open source server for sharing and editing geospatial data, was found to contain a vulnerability (CVE-2024-24749) that affects its GeoWebCache ByteStreamController component. The vulnerability specifically impacts installations running on Windows operating systems using Apache Tomcat as the web application server (GeoServer Advisory).

The vulnerability allows attackers to bypass existing input validation in the GeoWebCache ByteStreamController class, enabling unauthorized access to arbitrary classpath resources with specific file name extensions. The issue stems from improper handling of backslash characters on Windows systems and double decoding of URL paths. The vulnerability has been assigned a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.9 (Medium) with a vector string of CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N (GeoServer Advisory).

If GeoServer is deployed as a web archive with the data directory embedded in the geoserver.war file, attackers could potentially read specific resources to gain administrator privileges. However, this scenario is unlikely in production environments since embedded data directories are typically not used due to maintenance challenges. The vulnerability primarily affects confidentiality with no impact on integrity or availability (GeoServer Advisory).

Several mitigation options are available: 1) Switch from Windows to Linux or Mac OS operating systems, 2) Use alternative application servers like Jetty or WildFly instead of Apache Tomcat, or 3) Disable anonymous access to the embedded GeoWebCache administration and status pages by modifying the web filter chain pattern. The vulnerability has been patched in versions 2.23.5 and 2.24.3 (GeoServer Advisory).