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Actively exploited

CVE-2022-23176 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.

From the CISA KEV catalogue version 2026.11.06, with Cybergen analysis. Updated 6 Nov 2026.

Our Assessment

Should You Worry?

Patch urgentlyCybergen assessment
  • CISA confirmed exploitation in the wild and added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 11 Apr 2022.
  • Rated High severity (CVSS 8.8, scored by CISA).
  • It has been in the catalogue for 1,670 days. Systems still unpatched now have almost certainly been scanned for it.
The Vulnerability

What It Is

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. This vulnerability impacts Fireware OS before 12.7.2_U1, 12.x before 12.1.3_U3, and 12.2.x through 12.5.x before 12.5.7_U3.

From Watch to Action

What To Do Now

  1. 1

    Find it

    Search your asset inventory and external attack surface for WatchGuard Firebox and XTM. Include cloud images, appliances and anything a supplier runs for you.

    Attack Surface Management
  2. 2

    Fix it

    Apply updates per vendor instructions.

    Vulnerability Management
  3. 3

    Hunt for compromise

    If an affected system was reachable before you patched, assume it may have been hit. Check logs, new accounts, web shells and outbound connections from the date of exposure.

    Incident Response
  4. 4

    Prove it is fixed

    Rescan or test the system after patching. Upgrades that fail silently and forgotten secondary instances are common.

    Penetration Testing

Vendor Advisories

Regulation

The Compliance Clock

Cyber EssentialsRated high, so if it affects devices in your Cyber Essentials scope, the update must be installed within 14 days of the vendor releasing it.NIS2If exploitation causes a significant incident, essential and important entities owe their CSIRT an early warning within 24 hours and a notification within 72 hours.DORAFinancial entities must classify ICT incidents and send an initial notification for a major incident within strict deadlines, with exploited flaws a common cause.US federal (BOD 22-01)Federal civilian agencies had until 2 May 2022 to remediate. A sensible benchmark for everyone else.

General guidance, not legal advice. Your obligations depend on your sector, scope and jurisdiction.

Stay Ahead

More Exploited WatchGuard Flaws

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CVE-2025-14733 · RansomwareWatchGuard Firebox Out of Bounds Write VulnerabilityAdded 19 Dec 2025CVE-2025-9242WatchGuard Firebox Out-of-Bounds Write VulnerabilityAdded 12 Nov 2025CVE-2022-26318WatchGuard Firebox and XTM Appliances Arbitrary Code ExecutionAdded 25 Mar 2022

All 4 exploited WatchGuard vulnerabilities

Not Sure If You Are Exposed?

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Evidence

Sources

  1. CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue
  2. NVD: CVE-2022-23176
  3. CVE record: CVE-2022-23176
  4. FIRST EPSS
  5. securityportal.watchguard.com
  6. watchguard.com/support/release-notes/fireware/12/en-US/EN_ReleaseNotes_Fireware_12_7/index.html#Fire
  7. watchguard.com/support/release-notes/fireware/12/en-US/EN_ReleaseNotes_Fireware_12_7_2/index.html#Fi
  8. watchguard.com/support/release-notes/fireware/12/en-US/EN_ReleaseNotes_Fireware_12_1_3_U7/index.html
  9. arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/04/watchguard-failed-to-disclose-critical-flaw-exploited