dbcve.org
Edgemax Edgerouter FirmwareOperating system · Ui

CVE-2022-43553

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-12-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.0.9 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
A remote code execution vulnerability in EdgeRouters (Version 2.0.9-hotfix.4 and earlier) allows a malicious actor with an operator account to run arbitrary administrator commands.This vulnerability is fixed in Version 2.0.9-hotfix.5 and later.

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 confidence

This is an authenticated remote code execution vulnerability in Ubiquiti EdgeRouters where a user with operator-level privileges can escalate to execute arbitrary administrator/root commands. The vulnerability stems from improper privilege separation, allowing operator accounts to bypass authorization checks and run privileged operations.

MitigationUpgrade EdgeRouter firmware to Version 2.0.9-hotfix.5 or later. Additionally, restrict operator account usage, review user access logs for suspicious activity, and consider network segmentation to limit exposure.

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
Edgemax Edgerouter FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 2.0.9= 2.0.9

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the device model
    Access the EdgeRouter web UI or run 'show version' via CLI to confirm the device is a Ubiquiti EdgeRouter model
    Affected if The device is not an Ubiquiti EdgeRouter, this CVE does not apply
  2. Check the installed firmware version
    In the web UI go to the Dashboard or run 'show version' in CLI to view the firmware version number
    Affected if The firmware version is 2.0.9 or any version below 2.0.9 (versions 1.x and early 2.0.x)
  3. Verify operator-level accounts exist
    In the web UI go to Users > Operators, or run 'show system login' via CLI to list all operator accounts
    Affected if Operator accounts are configured on the device - these accounts have the privilege level that can be exploited
  4. Confirm the vulnerability condition
    Cross-reference the firmware version from step 2 against the affected range: versions < 2.0.9 and version 2.0.9 exactly are vulnerable
    Affected if Firmware version is 2.0.9 or below AND operator accounts exist on the device

You are affected if your EdgeRouter runs firmware version 2.0.9 or lower and has operator-level user accounts configured on the system.

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 2.0.9 or later
Fixed in 2.0.9
Interim mitigation

Upgrade EdgeRouter firmware to Version 2.0.9-hotfix.5 or later. Additionally, restrict operator account usage, review user access logs for suspicious activity, and consider network segmentation to limit exposure.

Recommended fix High confidence

2.0.9-hotfix.5 or later (latest stable EdgeRouter firmware)

  1. 1. Access the EdgeRouter web GUI or CLI interface
  2. 2. Navigate to the System section in the web UI, or use the CLI command 'add system image' to check for available firmware updates
  3. 3. Download and install firmware version 2.0.9-hotfix.5 or later from the official Ubiquiti downloads page
  4. 4. Alternatively, via CLI, run 'upgrade' command after connecting to the router
  5. 5. After upgrade, verify the firmware version matches or exceeds 2.0.9-hotfix.5 using 'show version' command
  6. 6. Confirm the vulnerability is resolved by verifying operator-level accounts can no longer execute administrator-level commands
Caveat Standard firmware upgrade - ensure to backup configuration before upgrading; plan for brief downtime during the update process

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

Fix this in Edgemax Edgerouter Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2022-43553 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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