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Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 15 Apr 2022.
FirewareOperating system · Watchguard

CVE-2022-26318

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-03-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 12.1.3 / 12.5.9 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild High EPSS Remotely reachable No privileges 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
On WatchGuard Firebox and XTM appliances, an unauthenticated user can execute arbitrary code, aka FBX-22786. 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

Unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability in WatchGuard Firebox and XTM appliances allows attackers to execute arbitrary code without credentials via vulnerable Fireware OS versions.

MitigationUpgrade Fireware OS to version 12.7.2_U2, 12.1.3_U8, or 12.5.9_U2 or later. If patching is not immediately feasible, restrict management interface access to trusted networks using firewall rules or VPN.

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>= 12.5, < 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
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 the appliance model
    Access the device's web management interface or use CLI command 'sysctl hw.model' or check physical labeling to confirm it is a WatchGuard Firebox or XTM appliance.
    Affected if The device is NOT a WatchGuard Firebox or XTM appliance.
  2. Determine the Fireware OS version
    Log into the Firebox web UI, go to Dashboard or System > About, and note the Fireware OS version number displayed. Alternatively, use CLI command 'fireware -v' or 'version' to retrieve the version.
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: 12.0.0 through 12.1.2, 12.1.3, 12.5.0 through 12.5.8, 12.5.9, 12.7.0 through 12.7.1, or 12.7.2.
  3. Verify management interface exposure
    Review firewall rules and network configuration to determine if the Firebox management interface (HTTPS admin port 443 or HTTP port 80) is accessible from external networks or the internet.
    Affected if TCP ports 443 or 80 used for Firebox management are exposed to untrusted networks or the internet.
  4. Check for unauthorized access or tampering
    Review system logs in Firebox UI under Log > System Logs for unusual authentication attempts, unexpected processes, or unfamiliar administrative accounts. Compare current configuration against known-good backups.
    Affected if Logs show unauthorized administrative sessions, unknown accounts, or configuration changes not made by your team.

The environment is affected if the device is a WatchGuard Firebox or XTM running a Fireware OS version in the affected list AND the management interface is externally accessible.

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. If patching is not immediately feasible, restrict management interface access to trusted networks using firewall rules or VPN.

Recommended fix High confidence

12.1.3_U8 (for 12.x branch), 12.5.9_U2 (for 12.5.x branch), or 12.7.2_U2 (for 12.7.x branch) depending on starting version

  1. 1. Identify the current Fireware OS version by accessing the Firebox management interface or using the wgCLI 'fireware' command.
  2. 2. Determine which upgrade path applies based on current version: if running 12.0.0-12.1.2, upgrade to 12.1.3_U8; if running 12.5.0-12.5.8, upgrade to 12.5.9_U2; if running 12.7.0-12.7.1, upgrade to 12.7.2_U2.
  3. 3. Download the appropriate firmware image from the WatchGuard support portal (www.watchguard.com/support/firmware.html).
  4. 4. Upload the firmware file through the Firebox Web UI (System > Firmware) or via the wgCLI 'firmware upload' command.
  5. 5. Reboot the appliance to apply the new firmware.
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade was successful and confirm the running version matches the expected patched version.
Caveat Review WatchGuard release notes for any behavioral changes in the U-version; upgrading major.minor versions may require compatibility checks for existing policies and subscriptions

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

Fix this in Fireware Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2022-26318 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