WatchGuard Fireware
CVE-2024-5974
HIGH
Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/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
Network-reachable management interface with no complexity, but PR:H gates exploitation; full CIA impact confined to the vulnerable appliance with no scope change.
Primary rating from Vendor (5d1c2695-1a31-4499-88ae-e847036fd7e3).
CVSS VectorVendor: 5d1c2695-1a31-4499-88ae-e847036fd7e3
Lifecycle Timeline
4DescriptionCVE.org
A buffer overflow in WatchGuard Fireware OS could may allow an authenticated remote attacker with privileged management access to execute arbitrary code with system privileges on the firewall. This issue affects Fireware OS: from 11.9.6 through 12.10.3.
AnalysisAI
Remote code execution in WatchGuard Fireware OS allows an authenticated attacker holding privileged management credentials to trigger a buffer overflow and execute arbitrary code with system-level privileges on the firewall appliance itself. All Fireware OS releases from 11.9.6 through 12.10.3 are confirmed affected per WatchGuard PSIRT advisory WGSA-2024-00011. No public exploit code has been identified and CISA has not added this to the KEV catalog, but successful exploitation would give an attacker complete control over the security appliance.
Technical ContextAI
Fireware OS is the proprietary operating system powering WatchGuard network security appliances, exposed over the network via its privileged management interface. The root cause is CWE-120 (Classic Buffer Overflow) - a failure to validate the size of input before copying it into a fixed-size buffer, enabling an attacker to overwrite adjacent memory regions and redirect instruction flow. The CPE strings (cpe:2.3:o:watchguard:fireware:*) confirm the flaw resides in the Fireware OS layer itself rather than a third-party component, with CPE also referencing 12.5.12:u1 as a specific version data point within the range. The CVSS 4.0 vector AV:N/AC:L/AT:N confirms the management interface is network-reachable with no special attack prerequisites beyond holding high-privilege credentials.
RemediationAI
Upgrade Fireware OS to a version beyond 12.10.3 per WatchGuard PSIRT advisory WGSA-2024-00011 (https://www.watchguard.com/wgrd-psirt/advisory/wgsa-2024-00011); the exact patched version number is not specified in the available data and must be confirmed directly from the advisory. As immediate compensating controls: restrict management interface access to a dedicated out-of-band management network or specific trusted IP ranges using firewall policy, which prevents unanticipated network paths from reaching the vulnerable service; enforce multi-factor authentication on all privileged management accounts to raise the credential compromise bar; and audit and reduce the number of accounts holding privileged management access, limiting the pool of credentials whose theft would enable exploitation. Note that restricting management interface exposure does not patch the buffer overflow but eliminates network reachability for most threat actors.
WatchGuard Fireware OS contains an out-of-bounds write in IKEv2 VPN handling enabling unauthenticated remote code execut
Buffer overflow in WGagent in WatchGuard WSM and Fireware before 11.8 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code
Remote code execution in WatchGuard Fireware OS arises from an out-of-bounds write in the iked (IKE) daemon, letting an
On WatchGuard Firebox and XTM appliances, an unauthenticated user can execute arbitrary code, aka FBX-22786. Rated criti
An FBX-5312 issue was discovered in WatchGuard Fireware before 12.0. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability
WatchGuard Fireware v11.12.1 and earlier mishandles requests referring to an XML External Entity (XXE), in the XML-RPC a
WatchGuard Firebox and XTM appliances allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to retrieve sensitive authentication serv
An FBX-5313 issue was discovered in WatchGuard Fireware before 12.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerabilit
An integer overflow in WatchGuard Firebox and XTM appliances allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to trigger a buff
WatchGuard Fireware allows user enumeration, e.g., in the Firebox XML-RPC login handler. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3
WatchGuard Firebox and XTM appliances allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to delete arbitrary files from a limited
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in the firewall policy management pages in WatchGuard Fireware XTM b
Same weakness CWE-120 – Classic Buffer Overflow
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External POC / Exploit Code
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