# CVE-2022-23176: WatchGuard Firebox and XTM Privilege Escalation

> Remote attackers with unprivileged credentials can gain privileged management access to WatchGuard Firebox appliances, enabling full system control.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Yes, since 11 Apr 2022 (CISA KEV)
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 24 Feb 2022
- **Updated:** 21 Oct 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-8x27-645q-g2rv

## What is CVE-2022-23176?

CVE-2022-23176 is a high-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Watchguard Fireware, published on 24 Feb 2022. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

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.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-23176?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Watchguard Fireware.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-23176?

No fix has been published for CVE-2022-23176 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available. US federal agencies must fix it by 2 May 2022.

## Is CVE-2022-23176 being exploited?

Yes. Attackers have exploited CVE-2022-23176 in the wild since at least 11 Apr 2022.

## Other vulnerabilities in Watchguard Fireware

- [CVE-2022-26318](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-26318/): WatchGuard Firebox and XTM Appliances Arbitrary Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-14733](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-14733/): WatchGuard Firebox Out of Bounds Write (critical 9.3, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-9242](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-9242/): WatchGuard Firebox Out-of-Bounds Write (critical 9.3, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-31789](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-31789/): Integer overflow in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2013-6021](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6021/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-23176 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-23176 is a high-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Watchguard Fireware, published on 24 Feb 2022. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: Yes. Attackers have exploited CVE-2022-23176 in the wild since at least 11 Apr 2022.

Affected product: Watchguard Fireware. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-23176/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-23176/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-23176
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-23176
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-23176

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-23176/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.