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FirewareOperating system · Watchguard

CVE-2022-25363

MEDIUM · 6.5 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 →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
WatchGuard Firebox and XTM appliances allow an authenticated remote attacker with unprivileged credentials to modify privileged management user credentials. 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

WatchGuard Firebox and XTM appliances with vulnerable Fireware OS versions contain an authorization flaw where an authenticated remote attacker with unprivileged user credentials can modify privileged management user credentials, enabling privilege escalation to administrative access.

MitigationUpgrade Fireware OS to version 12.7.2_U2, 12.1.3_U8, or 12.5.9_U2 (or later) depending on the current major version branch, and verify that unprivileged accounts cannot modify admin credentials.

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
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

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. Check the Fireware OS version
    Log into the Firebox Web UI (or use CLI command 'fwcontrol -v' or 'system status' in the diagnostic shell) to view the installed Fireware OS version
    Affected if The version is >= 12.0.0 and < 12.1.3, OR >= 12.2.0 and < 12.5.9, OR >= 12.7.0 and < 12.7.2 (including exact versions 12.1.3, 12.5.9, and 12.7.2)
  2. Verify if remote management is enabled
    In Firebox Web UI, navigate to System > SSL Settings or Network > Management and confirm if the HTTPS management interface is accessible from external networks
    Affected if Remote management is enabled and the Firebox is accessible from untrusted networks
  3. Review user account configuration
    In Firebox Web UI, go to Users > User List to enumerate all locally configured management users
    Affected if There are multiple user accounts with varying privilege levels (e.g., read-only or standard users alongside administrators)

You are affected if your Fireware OS version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND you have non-administrative user accounts configured with remote access capability.

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 major version branch, and verify that unprivileged accounts cannot modify admin credentials.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to Fireware OS 12.1.3_U8, 12.5.9_U2, or 12.7.2_U2 (or later) depending on your current version branch

  1. Identify the current Fireware OS version running on the WatchGuard Firebox or XTM appliance
  2. Determine which version branch is in use (12.0.x-12.1.x, 12.2.x-12.5.x, or 12.7.x)
  3. Download the appropriate patched firmware image from WatchGuard's support portal: 12.1.3_U8 or later for 12.0.x-12.1.x branch, 12.5.9_U2 or later for 12.2.x-12.5.x branch, or 12.7.2_U2 or later for 12.7.x branch
  4. Upload the firmware image through the Fireware Web UI (Policy Manager > Backup) or via the command line interface
  5. Initiate the firmware upgrade and allow the appliance to reboot
  6. After reboot, verify the new firmware version is installed and test that authentication and user management functions operate normally
Caveat Standard WatchGuard firmware upgrade - review release notes for any configuration or feature changes between versions

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

Fix this in Fireware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2022-25363 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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