“When vulnerabilities are disclosed in widely deployed platforms like GeoServer, almost no federal agency can realistically patch fast enough,” Eichenbaum noted. “Even if they could, by the time a notice is public, the adversary may already be exploiting it.” That reality reinforces the need for “breach-ready” posture grounded in Zero Trust principles, he added.
Venky Raju, field CTO at ColorTokens, echoed the concern, saying, “open-source developers are quick to respond with fixes, however, enterprises may not be able to patch servers due to internal challenges.” As an interim measure, he recommended isolating affected GeoServer instances using microsegmentation controls to restrict lateral movement, while still maintaining mission operations.
While the CISA notice applied to Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) agencies, directing them to patch before December 26, 2025, it “strongly urged” all organizations to timely remediate the issue.
