CVE-2022-23176
Published: April 11, 2022
Official Description
WatchGuard Firebox and XTM appliances allow a remote attacker with unprivileged credentials to access the system with a privileged management session via exposed management access.
CISA KEV Advisory
WatchGuard Firebox and XTM Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
WatchGuard Firebox and XTM appliances allow a remote attacker with unprivileged credentials to access the system with a privileged management session via exposed management access.
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Risk Analysis
WatchGuard Firebox and XTM appliances allow a remote attacker with unprivileged credentials to gain a privileged management session. This high-severity flaw has a significant exploitation probability (EPSS 0.09569), making it an urgent concern. This vulnerability is confirmed to be actively exploited by CISA.
Active exploitation of this vulnerability has been observed in the wild. This flaw is remotely exploitable by attackers with unprivileged credentials.
Apply all available security updates for WatchGuard Firebox and XTM appliances. Implement strong authentication policies and restrict management interface access to trusted networks.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2022-23176 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.
Exploitation requires some privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.
CISA has added CVE-2022-23176 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming active exploitation in the wild. U.S. federal agencies are required to patch this within the mandated timeframe, and all organizations should treat remediation as urgent.
Exploit & PoC Resources
All References (1)
Quick Facts
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2022-23176 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
- !CISA KEV: Federal agencies must patch per BOD 22-01 timeline
- !Active exploitation confirmed — treat as P1