CVE-2022-23176

Exp

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.

Published: 2022-02-24 Last update: 2025-11-03 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Analyzed，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2022-23176 is rated Critical Active Threat (93.4/100): CVSS High severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 10.17%, 93th percentile). CISA KEV confirms active exploitation (added 2022-04-11) affecting WatchGuard / Firebox and XTM. Unauthenticated remote administrative access may be possible. The CISA remediation deadline has passed—treat as an emergency patch priority.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

CISA KEV Record for CVE-2022-23176

Name: WatchGuard Firebox and XTM Privilege Escalation Vulnerability · CISA KEV detail

Exploit added: 2022-04-11

Action due: 2022-05-02

Required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2022-23176

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-05-17 9.57% 10.17% +0.60%
2 2025-11-21 39.31% 9.57% -29.74%
3 2025-11-18 — 39.31% —

Full EPSS history (27 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2022-23176

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
8.8 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 2.8 5.9 [email protected]
8.8 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 2.8 5.9 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
9.0 2.0 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:L)
Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable.
Authentication (AU:S)
A single authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:C)
Complete confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:C)
Complete integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:C)
Complete availability impact.
 8.0 10.0 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2022-23176

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2022-23176

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
watchguard fireware >= 12.0.0, < 12.1.3 cpe:2.3:o:watchguard:fireware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
watchguard fireware >= 12.2.0, < 12.5.7 cpe:2.3:o:watchguard:fireware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
watchguard fireware 12.1.3 cpe:2.3:o:watchguard:fireware:12.1.3:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
watchguard fireware 12.1.3 cpe:2.3:o:watchguard:fireware:12.1.3:u1:*:*:*:*:*:*
watchguard fireware 12.1.3 cpe:2.3:o:watchguard:fireware:12.1.3:u2:*:*:*:*:*:*
watchguard fireware 12.5.7 cpe:2.3:o:watchguard:fireware:12.5.7:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
watchguard fireware 12.5.7 cpe:2.3:o:watchguard:fireware:12.5.7:u1:*:*:*:*:*:*
watchguard fireware 12.5.7 cpe:2.3:o:watchguard:fireware:12.5.7:u2:*:*:*:*:*:*
watchguard fireware 12.7.2 cpe:2.3:o:watchguard:fireware:12.7.2:-:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2022-23176

URL Tags
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/04/watchguard-failed-to-disclose-critical-flaw-exploited-by-russian-hackers/ Third Party Advisory
https://securityportal.watchguard.com Vendor Advisory
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 Release Notes Vendor Advisory
https://www.watchguard.com/support/release-notes/fireware/12/en-US/EN_ReleaseNotes_Fireware_12_7/index.html#Fireware/en-US/resolved_issues.html Release Notes Vendor Advisory
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 Release Notes Vendor Advisory
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2022-23176 US Government Resource
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