dbcve.org
FirewareOperating system · Watchguard

CVE-2022-25291

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-02-24
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 12.1.3 / 12.5.9 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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 · unedited
An integer overflow in WatchGuard Firebox and XTM appliances allows an authenticated remote attacker to trigger a heap-based buffer overflow and potentially execute arbitrary code by initiating a firmware update with a malicious upgrade image. This vulnerability impacts Fireware OS before 12.7.2_U2, 12.x before 12.1.3_U8, and 12.2.x through 12.5.x before 12.5.9_U2.

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 confidence

An integer overflow exists in the firmware update mechanism of WatchGuard Firebox and XTM appliances. An authenticated remote attacker can craft a malicious firmware upgrade image that triggers the integer overflow, leading to a heap-based buffer overflow and potential arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpgrade Fireware OS to version 12.7.2_U2, 12.1.3_U8, 12.5.9_U2 or later. Additionally, restrict administrative access to trusted networks and monitor for unauthorized firmware update attempts.

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
FirewareOperating system
Affected:>= 12.0.0, < 12.1.3>= 12.2.0, < 12.5.9>= 12.7.0, < 12.7.2= 12.1.3= 12.5.9= 12.7.2

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm WatchGuard appliance model
    Log into the Firebox or XTM web UI (or use CLI 'get system' command) to identify the device model
    Affected if Device is a WatchGuard Firebox or XTM appliance
  2. Check installed Fireware OS version
    In the web UI, go to Dashboard > Status or use CLI command 'fwctl -r version' to display the Fireware OS version
    Affected if Installed version is 12.0.0 through 12.7.2 (any 12.x version below 12.1.3_U8, 12.5.9_U2, or 12.7.2_U2)
  3. Verify remote administrative access is enabled
    In the web UI, go to Network > Configure and check if HTTPS/HTTP management is enabled on external interfaces, or use CLI 'show interface' to list accessible management interfaces
    Affected if HTTPS or HTTP management is reachable from untrusted networks
  4. Review firmware update access logs
    In the web UI, go to Diagnostic > Log Messages and filter for events containing 'firmware' or 'upgrade' to identify firmware update attempts
    Affected if Unrecognized or unauthorized firmware update operations are present in logs

You are affected if you are running any Fireware OS version between 12.0.0 and 12.7.2 on a Firebox or XTM device that has remote administrative access enabled.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 12.1.3 / 12.5.9 / 12.7.2 or later
Fixed in 12.1.312.5.912.7.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Fireware OS to version 12.7.2_U2, 12.1.3_U8, 12.5.9_U2 or later. Additionally, restrict administrative access to trusted networks and monitor for unauthorized firmware update attempts.

Recommended fix High confidence

Fireware 12.1.3_U8 (for 12.x), 12.5.9_U2 (for 12.2-12.5.x), or 12.7.2_U2 (for 12.7.x)

  1. 1. Identify the current Fireware OS version running on the WatchGuard Firebox or XTM appliance
  2. 2. Determine which version branch the current installation belongs to (12.0.x-12.1.x, 12.2.x-12.5.x, or 12.7.x)
  3. 3. For 12.0.x to 12.1.x branch: upgrade to Fireware 12.1.3_U8 or later
  4. 4. For 12.2.x to 12.5.x branch: upgrade to Fireware 12.5.9_U2 or later
  5. 5. For 12.7.x branch: upgrade to Fireware 12.7.2_U2 or later
  6. 6. Download the appropriate upgrade image from the WatchGuard support portal
  7. 7. Initiate firmware update through WatchGuard Dimension or the web UI (Firebox System Manager > Backup > Upgrade)
  8. 8. Verify the upgrade completed successfully and the new version is running

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Fireware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,840
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,144.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-25291 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-25291 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data