CVE DATABASE / CVE-2022-23176
CVE-2022-23176
WatchGuard Firebox and XTM Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
Confirmed exploited in the wild. Added 2022-04-11.
Federal remediation due 2022-05-02.
Required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Summary
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. This vulnerability impacts Fireware OS before 12.7.2_U1, 12.x before 12.1.3_U3, and 12.2.x through 12.5.x before 12.5.7_U3.
CVSS 3.1 breakdown
| Base score | 8.8 (HIGH) |
| Vector | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| Attack vector | NETWORK |
| Attack complexity | LOW |
| Privileges required | LOW |
| User interaction | NONE |
| Scope | UNCHANGED |
| Confidentiality | HIGH |
| Integrity | HIGH |
| Availability | HIGH |
Affected products
Use our free CVE Lookup tool for the latest NVD record, or browse the full CISA KEV catalog.
References
- https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/04/watchguard-failed-to-disclose-critical-flaw-exploited-by-russian-hackers/
- https://securityportal.watchguard.com
- https://www.watchguard.com/support/release-notes/fireware/12/en-US/EN_ReleaseNotes_Fireware_12_1_3_U7/index.html#Fireware/en-US/resolved_issues.html
- https://www.watchguard.com/support/release-notes/fireware/12/en-US/EN_ReleaseNotes_Fireware_12_7/index.html#Fireware/en-US/resolved_issues.html
- https://www.watchguard.com/support/release-notes/fireware/12/en-US/EN_ReleaseNotes_Fireware_12_7_2/index.html#Fireware/en-US/resolved_issues.html
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2022-23176
Data: NIST NVD + CISA KEV. NVD last modified 2025-11-03. Always verify against the vendor advisory before acting.