CVE DATABASE / CVE-2022-42948
CVE-2022-42948
Fortra Cobalt Strike User Interface Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
CVSS 9.8 · CRITICAL
⚠ CISA KEV — ACTIVELY EXPLOITED
On the CISA KEV catalog
Confirmed exploited in the wild. Added 2023-03-30.
Federal remediation due 2023-04-20.
Required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Summary
Cobalt Strike 4.7.1 fails to properly escape HTML tags when they are displayed on Swing components. By injecting crafted HTML code, it is possible to remotely execute code in the Cobalt Strike UI.
CVSS 3.1 breakdown
| Base score | 9.8 (CRITICAL) |
| Vector | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| Attack vector | NETWORK |
| Attack complexity | LOW |
| Privileges required | NONE |
| User interaction | NONE |
| Scope | UNCHANGED |
| Confidentiality | HIGH |
| Integrity | HIGH |
| Availability | HIGH |
Weakness type (CWE)
Affected products
Helpsystems cobalt strike
Check this CVE live
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References
- https://thesecmaster.com/how-to-fix-cve-2022-42948-a-critical-rce-vulnerability-in-cobalt-strike/
- https://www.cobaltstrike.com/blog/
- https://www.redpacketsecurity.com/helpsystems-cobalt-strike-code-execution-cve-2022-42948/
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2022-42948
Data: NIST NVD + CISA KEV. NVD last modified 2025-11-03. Always verify against the vendor advisory before acting.