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FirewareOperating system · Watchguard

CVE-2022-31789

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-09-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 12.1.4 / 12.5.10 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
An integer overflow in WatchGuard Firebox and XTM appliances allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to trigger a buffer overflow and potentially execute arbitrary code by sending a malicious request to exposed management ports. This is fixed in Fireware OS 12.8.1, 12.5.10, and 12.1.4.

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 vulnerability in WatchGuard Firebox and XTM appliances allows unauthenticated remote attackers to trigger a buffer overflow by sending specially crafted malicious requests to exposed management interfaces. Successful exploitation enables arbitrary code execution on the affected appliance. The vulnerability is addressed in Fireware OS versions 12.8.1, 12.5.10, and 12.1.4.

MitigationApply the available firmware updates (12.8.1, 12.5.10, or 12.1.4) to all affected WatchGuard Firebox and XTM appliances. Additionally, restrict access to management ports from untrusted networks as a defensive measure until patching is complete.

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, < 12.1.4>= 12.2.0, < 12.5.10= 12.6.1= 12.6.3= 12.6.4= 12.7.0= 12.7.1= 12.7.2= 12.8.0

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
    Log into the Firebox/XTM device and navigate to System Status or use the CLI command 'system status' to confirm the device model is a WatchGuard Firebox or XTM appliance.
    Affected if The device is a WatchGuard Firebox or XTM appliance.
  2. Determine the Fireware OS version
    Access the Firebox web UI (or CLI) and locate the version information typically found under System Status, About, or use the CLI command 'fireware os version' to retrieve the exact Fireware OS build number.
    Affected if The installed version is 12.0.0 through 12.1.3, 12.2.0 through 12.5.9, 12.6.1, 12.6.3, 12.6.4, 12.7.0, 12.7.1, 12.7.2, or 12.8.0.
  3. Verify management interface exposure
    Review the firewall policy settings and network configuration to determine if the management web UI (ports 443/tcp, 8080/tcp) or SSH (22/tcp) is accessible from untrusted external networks. Check the interface bindings under Network > Interfaces and confirm whether 'Management' is enabled on external-facing interfaces.
    Affected if Management interfaces are reachable from untrusted or external networks.
  4. Confirm feature usage
    The vulnerability requires the management web interface to be enabled and accessible. Verify that the WatchGuard web UI service is running and exposed on at least one active interface.
    Affected if The management web interface is enabled and accessible on any network interface.

The environment is affected if the device is a WatchGuard Firebox or XTM appliance running a Fireware OS version within the affected ranges AND management interfaces are exposed to untrusted networks.

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 12.1.4 / 12.5.10 or later
Fixed in 12.1.412.5.10
Interim mitigation

Apply the available firmware updates (12.8.1, 12.5.10, or 12.1.4) to all affected WatchGuard Firebox and XTM appliances. Additionally, restrict access to management ports from untrusted networks as a defensive measure until patching is complete.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to Fireware OS 12.8.1 (latest stable fixed release) or 12.5.10 or 12.1.4 depending on your current branch

  1. Log into the WatchGuard Firebox or XTM appliance management interface (Fireware Web UI)
  2. Navigate to System > Firmware to check the current firmware version
  3. Download the appropriate firmware update from the WatchGuard portal: For 12.0.x-12.1.x users, upgrade to 12.1.4; For 12.2.x-12.5.x users, upgrade to 12.5.10; For 12.6.x users, upgrade to 12.8.1
  4. In the Fireware Web UI, go to System > Firmware and select the option to upload/install the new firmware file
  5. Confirm the firmware upgrade and allow the appliance to reboot
  6. After reboot, verify the new firmware version is installed and confirm the management interface is accessible
  7. If using the CLI, alternatively use the 'fwsm' command to upgrade firmware via TFTP or USB if needed
Caveat Review WatchGuard release notes for any configuration or feature changes between your current version and the target fixed version before upgrading

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

Fix this in Fireware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,580
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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-2022-31789 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