NexposeApplication · Rapid7

CVE-2022-3913

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-02-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.6.178 or later.
See remediation →
60/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
Rapid7 Nexpose and InsightVM versions 6.6.82 through 6.6.177 fail to validate the certificate of the update server when downloading updates. This failure could allow an attacker in a privileged position on the network to provide their own HTTPS endpoint, or intercept communications to the legitimate endpoint. The attacker would need some pre-existing access to at least one node on the network path between the Rapid7-controlled update server and the Nexpose/InsightVM application, and the ability to either spoof the update server's FQDN or redirect legitimate traffic to the attacker's server in order to exploit this vulnerability. Note that even in this scenario, an attacker could not normally replace an update package with a malicious package, since the update process validates a separate, code-signing certificate, distinct from the HTTPS certificate used for communication. This issue was resolved on February 1, 2023 in update 6.6.178 of Nexpose and InsightVM.

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

Rapid7 Nexpose and InsightVM versions 6.6.82 through 6.6.177 fail to validate the TLS/SSL certificate of the update server during the update download process. This allows man-in-the-middle attackers with privileged network position to intercept or redirect update traffic by spoofing the update server's FQDN. However, the update process separately validates a code-signing certificate, preventing injection of malicious update packages.

MitigationUpgrade to Nexpose/InsightVM version 6.6.178 or later, released February 1, 2023, which implements proper certificate validation for the update server connection.

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
NexposeApplication
Affected:>= 6.6.82, < 6.6.178

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
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/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. Identify the installed Nexpose or InsightVM version
    Locate the product version through the web interface (typically displayed in the footer of the admin console) or check the installation directory for a version file
    Affected if The version number is 6.6.82 or higher but lower than 6.6.178
  2. Compare the version against the affected range
    Verify if the installed version falls within >= 6.6.82 and < 6.6.178
    Affected if The version matches the vulnerable range (6.6.82 through 6.6.177)
  3. Confirm the update functionality is configured
    Check if automatic or manual update checks are enabled in the product settings
    Affected if Update downloads are enabled and the product contacts an external update server

You are affected if your Nexpose or InsightVM version is 6.6.82 through 6.6.177 and the update feature is used to download updates from the update server.

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 6.6.178 or later
Fixed in 6.6.178
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Nexpose/InsightVM version 6.6.178 or later, released February 1, 2023, which implements proper certificate validation for the update server connection.

Recommended fix High confidence

6.6.178 or later (any version after February 1, 2023)

  1. 1. Identify current Nexpose/InsightVM version by checking the product UI or system information
  2. 2. If the current version is between 6.6.82 and 6.6.177 inclusive, plan for upgrade
  3. 3. Before upgrading, review release notes for version 6.6.178 and any subsequent versions
  4. 4. Perform a backup of the current Nexpose/InsightVM installation and database as a precautionary measure
  5. 5. Apply the upgrade by installing version 6.6.178 or a later stable release from Rapid7
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade completed successfully and the product functions normally
  7. 7. Confirm the update server certificate validation is now functioning correctly by reviewing release notes or verifying update connectivity

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

Fix this in Nexpose Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA0.5 h
3.5 hours of engineering $750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-3913 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-3913 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