CVE-2022-28169
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 · uneditedBrocade Webtools in Brocade Fabric OS versions before Brocade Fabric OS versions v9.1.1, v9.0.1e, and v8.2.3c could allow a low privilege webtools, user, to gain elevated admin rights, or privileges, beyond what is intended or entitled for that user. By exploiting this vulnerability, a user whose role is not an admin can create a new user with an admin role using the operator session id. The issue was replicated after intercepting the admin, and operator authorization headers sent unencrypted and editing a user addition request to use the operator's authorization header.
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 confidenceBrocade Webtools prior to v9.1.1, v9.0.1e, and v8.2.3c contains a privilege escalation vulnerability where authorization headers are transmitted unencrypted over HTTP. A low-privilege user can intercept admin/operator session tokens via man-in-the-middle and replay them in user addition API requests to create new administrative users, effectively bypassing role-based access controls.
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>= 8.0.0, < 8.2.3c>= 9.0.0, < 9.0.1e>= 9.1.0, < 9.1.1CVSS 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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Identify the Fabric OS versionRun 'version' or 'switchname' command on the Fabric OS CLI to display the firmware versionAffected if The version falls within >= 8.0.0 and < 8.2.3c, OR >= 9.0.0 and < 9.0.1e, OR >= 9.1.0 and < 9.1.1
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Verify Webtools HTTP configurationAccess the Webtools login page and check if the URL uses http:// (port 80) rather than https:// (port 443), or inspect the web server configuration for HTTP listener statusAffected if Webtools is accessible over HTTP (unencrypted) on port 80
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Inspect user accounts for unauthorized adminsRun 'userconfig --show' or use Webtools admin interface to list all operator and admin accounts, checking for unexpected or unknown accounts with admin or operator rolesAffected if Unexpected admin or operator accounts exist that were not created by known administrators
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Check admin session token exposure riskReview network traffic captures or firewall logs for HTTP traffic on port 80/tcp to the Webtools interface, or verify that HTTP traffic is blocked at the network perimeterAffected if HTTP traffic to Webtools is permitted or observed on the network
You are affected if the Fabric OS version is within the vulnerable ranges AND Webtools is accessible over unencrypted HTTP, allowing potential interception of authorization headers.
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 · scoped8.2.3c9.0.1e9.1.1
Upgrade Brocade Fabric OS to v9.1.1, v9.0.1e, v8.2.3c or later, and enforce HTTPS for all webtools traffic to prevent authorization header interception.
Upgrade to v8.2.3c (for 8.x branch), v9.0.1e (for 9.0.x branch), or v9.1.1 (for 9.1.x branch)
- 1. Identify the current Fabric OS version using 'version' or 'firmwareShow' command
- 2. Determine the appropriate target version based on your current branch: 8.x branch -> 8.2.3c; 9.0.x branch -> 9.0.1e; 9.1.x branch -> 9.1.1
- 3. Backup current configuration using 'configUpload' command to a secure location
- 4. Review Broadcom/NetApp compatibility documentation for any prerequisites
- 5. Download the appropriate firmware from security.netapp.com or www.broadcom.com support portals
- 6. Upload the firmware to the fabric switch using 'firmwareDownload' command
- 7. Verify successful upgrade by running 'version' and confirming the fixed version is installed
- 8. After upgrade, verify that the privilege escalation vulnerability is resolved by testing that non-admin users cannot create admin users
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-28169 — 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-2022-28169 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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