Sophos Firewall Authentication Bypass Vulnerability (CVE-2022-1040)

An authentication bypass vulnerability in User Portal and Webadmin of Sophos Firewall allows for remote code execution.

Published Mar 25, 2022 · Updated May 17, 2026

Why patchRisk explained in plain English

Worst-case scenarioIf unpatched

A remote attacker, without authentication, can achieve full data confidentiality loss, arbitrary modification of data, complete denial of service or system unavailability. Federal agencies are required to remediate by 2022-04-21 under CISA BOD 22-01.

How the attack worksNo clicks needed

This vulnerability affects Sophos Firewall. An authentication bypass vulnerability in the User Portal and Webadmin allows a remote attacker to execute code in Sophos Firewall version v18.5 MR3 and older. Exploitation requires remote network access, low attack complexity, no authentication required, and no user interaction required.

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Phishing link

→

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Malicious file

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Server compromised

Am I affected?Quick check

Probably yes if any of these apply:

●IT Security

●Running sfos: v ≤ 18.5.3

Real-world incidentsWhat we've seen

Active exploitation documented in the wild. Threat-research write-up: http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/168046/Sophos-XG115w-Firewall-17.0.10-MR-10-Authentication-Bypass.html

How to patch

Manual remediation steps

Identify affected hosts: query inventory for general installs in scope.

Apply the vendor security update referenced in CVE-2022-1040's advisory. No specific KB/version is encoded yet — consult the linked MSRC/vendor URL.

Verify the fix per the vendor's published verification steps.

Document the remediation in your change ticket and re-scan with your vulnerability scanner to confirm closure.

PowerShell automationComing soon

No tested PowerShell script for this entry yet. We’re prioritising automation based on user demand.

References

↗ CVE-2022-1040 ↗ MSRC Advisory ↗ NVD ↗ Vendor Advisory