IRONSMITHINTEL
HIGHCVSS8.8
|
Actively Exploited
|CISA KEV|CVE-2022-23176|Auth: low — authenticated user|Reboot: required|Manual only

WatchGuard Firebox and XTM Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

WatchGuard Firebox and XTM appliances allow a remote attacker with unprivileged credentials to access the system with a privileged management session via exposed management access.

Published Feb 24, 2022 · Updated May 16, 2026
Why patchRisk explained in plain English
Worst-case scenarioIf unpatched

A remote attacker, with a low-privilege account, can achieve full data confidentiality loss, arbitrary modification of data, complete denial of service or system unavailability. Federal agencies are required to remediate by 2022-05-02 under CISA BOD 22-01.

How the attack worksNo clicks needed

This vulnerability affects WatchGuard Firebox and XTM. Exploitation requires remote network access, low attack complexity, a low-privilege authenticated account, and no user interaction required.

Am I affected?Quick check

Probably yes if any of these apply:

IT Security
Running fireware: 12.0.0 ≤ v < 12.1.3, 12.2.0 ≤ v < 12.5.7, 12.1.3, 12.5.7, 12.7.2
Real-world incidentsWhat we've seen

CISA added this CVE to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-04-11 based on evidence of active exploitation in the wild. Federal agencies required to remediate by 2022-05-02.

How to patch

Manual remediation steps

Apply the Vendor Patch

This vulnerability is in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog — apply the vendor's security update as soon as possible.

CISA required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.

References

    1
    Vendor advisory: https://securityportal.watchguard.com
    1
    NVD entry: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-23176
    1
    CISA KEV: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2022-23176
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