CVE-2022-33178
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 · uneditedA vulnerability in the radius authentication system of Brocade Fabric OS before Brocade Fabric OS 9.0 could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the Brocade switch.
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 · moderate confidenceA remote code execution vulnerability exists in the RADIUS authentication component of Brocade Fabric OS versions prior to 9.0. An attacker sending specially crafted RADIUS authentication requests to the affected switch could execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges.
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< 9.0.0CVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/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 Fabric OS versionRun 'version' or 'firmwareShow' command on the switch CLI to obtain the installed Fabric OS version numberAffected if The version displayed is below 9.0.0 (e.g., 8.x.x, 7.x.x)
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Verify RADIUS is configuredRun 'radiusconfig' or 'aaaconfig --show radius' command to display current RADIUS authentication settingsAffected if RADIUS server(s) are listed as configured or enabled in the output
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Confirm RADIUS authentication is enabledRun 'aaaconfig' or check the output from the previous command to see if RADIUS authentication mode is active (typically shows 'radius' as the authentication method)Affected if RADIUS is listed as the primary or active authentication method
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Check RADIUS server reachabilityReview the RADIUS configuration for configured server IP addresses and verify if those servers are accessible from the switchAffected if RADIUS servers are configured and network-reachable, meaning the attack surface is present
The environment is affected if the Fabric OS version is below 9.0.0 AND RADIUS authentication is configured and enabled, exposing the switch to specially crafted RADIUS authentication requests.
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 · scoped9.0.0
Upgrade Brocade Fabric OS to version 9.0 or later. If immediate upgrade is not possible, consider disabling RADIUS authentication and using local accounts, or placing RADIUS servers behind filtering controls.
Fabric OS 9.0.0 or later
- Verify current Fabric OS version using 'version' or 'firmwareShow' command
- Download Fabric OS 9.0.0 or later from Broadcom support portal (support.broadcom.com)
- Review Brocade Fabric OS upgrade guide for your specific switch model
- Backup current configuration using 'configUpload' command
- Upgrade firmware using 'firmwareInstall' or appropriate method for your switch model
- Verify upgrade was successful and new version is running
- Verify RADIUS authentication configuration is intact and functioning
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-33178 — 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-2022-33178 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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- 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
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