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FirewareOperating system · Watchguard

CVE-2022-25292

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
A wgagent stack-based buffer overflow in WatchGuard Firebox and XTM appliances allows an authenticated remote attacker to 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

A stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the wgagent component of WatchGuard Firebox and XTM appliances. An authenticated remote attacker can exploit this by crafting a malicious firmware upgrade image and initiating a firmware update, potentially achieving arbitrary code execution with elevated privileges.

MitigationUpgrade Fireware OS to version 12.7.2_U2, 12.1.3_U8, or 12.5.9_U2 (or later) depending on the current branch, as specified in the WatchGuard advisory. Restrict firmware update functionality to only trusted administrative accounts.

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. Identify Fireware OS version
    Access the WatchGuard appliance via Web UI or CLI and navigate to System Status or use the command 'fireware -v' or check the Web UI dashboard for the Fireware version information
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: 12.0.0 to 12.1.2, 12.2.0 to 12.5.8, 12.7.0 to 12.7.1, or exactly 12.1.3, 12.5.9, or 12.7.2 (these specific versions are also vulnerable)
  2. Confirm wgagent component is present
    On the appliance, verify the wgagent daemon/process is running. In CLI, use 'ps aux | grep wgagent' or check the process list via the Web UI under Diagnostics > Processes
    Affected if The wgagent process is running and handling firmware update operations (this is the vulnerable component)
  3. Check firmware update functionality access
    Review user account permissions in the WatchGuard Web UI under Users > User Management or Authentication > Users. Verify which accounts have permission to perform firmware upgrades
    Affected if More than the minimum required administrative accounts have firmware update privileges, or the functionality is accessible to less-trusted administrative users

You are affected if the Fireware OS version matches any of the vulnerable version ranges AND the wgagent component is active and handles firmware updates accessible to authenticated users

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, or 12.5.9_U2 (or later) depending on the current branch, as specified in the WatchGuard advisory. Restrict firmware update functionality to only trusted administrative accounts.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

12.7.2_U2 (for 12.7.x branch), 12.5.9_U2 (for 12.2.x-12.5.x branch), or 12.1.3_U8 (for 12.0.x-12.1.x branch)

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed Fireware version using the Firebox Web UI (System > Status) or WatchGuard System Manager.
  2. 2. Determine which upgrade path applies based on current version: for 12.7.x branch upgrade to 12.7.2_U2 or later; for 12.2.x-12.5.x branch upgrade to 12.5.9_U2 or later; for 12.0.x-12.1.x branch upgrade to 12.1.3_U8 or later.
  3. 3. Download the appropriate firmware upgrade image from the WatchGuard portal or support site.
  4. 4. Back up the current Firebox configuration through the Web UI (Setup > Backup) or WSM.
  5. 5. Initiate firmware upgrade through Firebox Web UI (System > Upgrade) or WSM, uploading the new .rpc firmware file.
  6. 6. Wait for the appliance to reboot and verify the upgrade completed successfully.
  7. 7. Confirm the new version is running and verify core firewall functionality is operational.

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

Fix this in Fireware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2022-25292 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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