CVE-2022-23176
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedWatchGuard 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.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceWatchGuard Firebox and XTM firewall appliances contain an authentication bypass vulnerability where an attacker with unprivileged credentials can escalate to a privileged management session through exposed management interfaces. This allows full administrative control of the firewall device.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data>= 12.0.0, < 12.1.3>= 12.2.0, < 12.5.7= 12.1.3= 12.5.7= 12.7.2CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm device is a WatchGuard Firebox or XTM applianceAccess the device status page, web UI, or CLI and identify the hardware model. Look for Firebox or XTM in the device name or model number.Affected if The device is not a WatchGuard Firebox or XTM appliance (not affected by this CVE)
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Identify the installed Fireware OS versionLog into the web UI (System > Status) or use the CLI command 'fwprint -v' or 'cat /proc/version' to retrieve the exact Fireware version number.Affected if The installed version matches one of the affected ranges: >= 12.0.0 and < 12.1.3, >= 12.2.0 and < 12.5.7, or exactly 12.1.3, 12.5.7, or 12.7.2
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Determine if the management interface is externally accessibleReview firewall policies and interface configurations. Check if TCP ports 443 (HTTPS) or 80 (HTTP) for management are open to untrusted networks or the internet. In the web UI, go to Network > Interfaces and review the interface bindings for management services.Affected if Management interface (ports 443/80) is bound to an external or untrusted interface accessible from outside the trusted network
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Verify if non-administrative user accounts existIn the web UI, go to Users > User List or use CLI 'user list' to enumerate accounts. Check for any accounts that are not assigned Full Administrator privileges.Affected if There are unprivileged user accounts configured on the appliance who could potentially exploit this vulnerability
The environment is affected if the device is a WatchGuard Firebox or XTM running a vulnerable Fireware version (12.0.0-12.1.2, 12.2.0-12.5.6, 12.1.3, 12.5.7, or 12.7.2) AND the management interface is exposed to untrusted networks with non-administrative users present.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped12.1.312.5.7
Upgrade Fireware OS to version 12.7.2_U1, 12.1.3_U3, 12.5.7_U3 or later. As a compensating control, restrict management interface access to trusted IP addresses or networks until patching is complete.
12.7.2_U1 (or 12.1.3_U3 for 12.0.x-12.1.x branch, or 12.5.7_U3 for 12.2.x-12.5.x branch)
- 1. Identify the current Fireware OS version running on the WatchGuard Firebox or XTM appliance via the Web UI (System Status) or CLI ("show version")
- 2. Determine the appropriate upgrade path based on current version: for 12.0.x-12.1.x upgrade to 12.1.3_U3; for 12.2.x-12.5.x upgrade to 12.5.7_U3; or upgrade to the latest stable release (12.7.2_U1 or later)
- 3. Download the firmware update from WatchGuard's official support portal (www.watchguard.com/support)
- 4. Back up the current Firebox configuration through the Web UI (Setup > Backup) or CLI
- 5. Upload the firmware through the Web UI (System > Firmware) or TFTP via CLI
- 6. After the appliance reboots, verify the new version is installed and review management access settings to ensure the management interface is not exposed to untrusted networks
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-23176 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-23176 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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