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OS Command InjectionWeakness · CWE-78

CVE-2022-4978

CRITICAL · 9.3 CVSS v4.0 Published 2025-07-23
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
Remote Control Server, maintained by Steppschuh, 3.1.1.12 allows unauthenticated remote code execution when authentication is disabled, which is the default configuration. The server exposes a custom UDP-based control protocol that accepts remote keyboard input events without verification. An attacker on the same network can issue a sequence of keystroke commands to launch a system shell and execute arbitrary commands, resulting in full system compromise.

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

A remote control server application (Steppschuh Remote Control Server v3.1.1.12) exposes a custom UDP-based control protocol that accepts keyboard input events without any authentication verification. Since authentication is disabled by default, an attacker on the same network can send UDP packets containing keystroke sequences to spawn a system shell and execute arbitrary commands, achieving full remote code execution and system compromise.

MitigationEnable authentication if the feature exists (verify in documentation), otherwise network-segment the affected system to prevent unauthorized LAN access, or decommission the software if no security updates are available.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

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
Authentication
X
User interaction
None
Scope
X

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

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 if Steppschuh Remote Control Server is installed
    Check running processes, installed programs, or running services for 'RemoteControlServer' or 'Steppschuh' related entries. On Windows, review installed programs in Add/Remove Programs or check running services.
    Affected if The software is present on the system
  2. Confirm the installed version
    Check the application's version information through its executable properties, service details, or documentation. Compare against v3.1.1.12.
    Affected if The installed version matches or precedes v3.1.1.12
  3. Verify if UDP control protocol is active
    Check for open UDP ports used by the application. Use netstat -anu or equivalent to list listening UDP ports. The custom protocol typically uses a specific UDP port (refer to application documentation for the default port number).
    Affected if The application is listening on a UDP control port and the port is open
  4. Check authentication configuration status
    Review the application's configuration settings or registry entries for authentication settings. The vulnerability exists when authentication is disabled (the default state).
    Affected if Authentication is disabled or not configured (the default vulnerable state)
  5. Assess network exposure
    Determine if the system is reachable from untrusted network segments. Check firewall rules and network topology to see if the UDP port is accessible from other systems on the LAN.
    Affected if The UDP control port is accessible from network segments with untrusted or unauthorized users

A user is affected if Steppschuh Remote Control Server v3.1.1.12 is installed with the UDP control protocol enabled, authentication remains in its default disabled state, and the system is reachable from an untrusted network segment.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Enable authentication if the feature exists (verify in documentation), otherwise network-segment the affected system to prevent unauthorized LAN access, or decommission the software if no security updates are available.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
25.0 hours of engineering $4,400
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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-2022-4978 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
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