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Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 14 Mar 2023. Known ransomware use
Aspera FaspexApplication · Ibm

CVE-2022-47986

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-02-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 4.4.1 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild Ransomware High EPSS Public exploit Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available

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
IBM Aspera Faspex 4.4.2 Patch Level 1 and earlier could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the system, caused by a YAML deserialization flaw. By sending a specially crafted obsolete API call, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code on the system. The obsolete API call was removed in Faspex 4.4.2 PL2. IBM X-Force ID: 243512.

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

IBM Aspera Faspex versions 4.4.2 PL1 and earlier contain a YAML deserialization vulnerability in an obsolete API call that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by sending specially crafted requests. This vulnerability was addressed by removing the obsolete API call in version 4.4.2 PL2.

MitigationUpgrade IBM Aspera Faspex to version 4.4.2 Patch Level 2 or later to remove the vulnerable obsolete API call. If immediate upgrade is not possible, network segmentation and restricting access to the Faspex interface can reduce 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
Aspera FaspexApplication
Affected:<= 4.4.1= 4.4.2

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 installed Faspex version
    Locate the Faspex installation directory and check the version file or use the Faspex admin interface to view the product version information
    Affected if The installed version is 4.4.2 Patch Level 1 or earlier, or version 4.4.1 or lower
  2. Locate the deprecated API endpoint configuration
    Search the Faspex configuration files for references to deprecated or obsolete API endpoints, particularly any YAML-related API routes that may have been marked for removal
    Affected if The deprecated YAML deserialization API endpoint exists in the configuration and remains enabled
  3. Verify API endpoint accessibility
    Attempt a GET request to the suspected deprecated API endpoint (such as paths containing /api/v1/yaml or similar legacy API patterns) using curl or a browser to confirm the endpoint responds
    Affected if The deprecated API endpoint responds to requests, indicating it is still active and reachable
  4. Check YAML processing configuration
    Inspect Faspex configuration files (typically in the config directory) for settings related to YAML parsing or deserialization, looking for any enable_yaml or similar flags
    Affected if YAML deserialization is enabled for the deprecated API endpoint without proper validation controls in place

A user is affected if their installed IBM Aspera Faspex version is 4.4.2 PL1 or earlier and the deprecated YAML API endpoint remains accessible and enabled on their 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 a release after 4.4.1
Vendor patch www.ibm.com →
Interim mitigation

Upgrade IBM Aspera Faspex to version 4.4.2 Patch Level 2 or later to remove the vulnerable obsolete API call. If immediate upgrade is not possible, network segmentation and restricting access to the Faspex interface can reduce exposure.

Recommended fix High confidence

Faspex 4.4.2 PL2 (Patch Level 2) or later

  1. Upgrade IBM Aspera Faspex to version 4.4.2 Patch Level 2 (PL2) or later
  2. After upgrading, verify that the obsolete API endpoint has been removed by reviewing release notes or testing known vulnerable endpoints
  3. Confirm the application is functioning normally post-upgrade

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

Fix this in Aspera Faspex Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $2,860
Get it fixed fast

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,576.

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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-2022-47986 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