Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
-
ReconObtain high-privilege admin credentials
-
DeliveryAccess Fireware management interface over network
-
ExploitInject XSS payload into Autotask module stored field
-
InstallPayload persists server-side
-
C2Second admin loads affected management page
-
ExecuteMalicious script executes in victim browser
-
ImpactExfiltrate session tokens or credentials
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization Output encoding, context-aware escaping
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Initial Access, Execution The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires the attacker to possess high-privilege (administrative) credentials on the Fireware OS management interface, as confirmed by the CVSS 4.0 PR:H metric - unauthenticated or low-privilege exploitation is not possible. The Autotask Technology Integration module must be installed and enabled on the target appliance; this is an optional PSA-integration component, not a default baseline feature, limiting exposure to deployments actively using MSP ticketing integration. A secondary authenticated administrative user must subsequently navigate to or reload the page rendering the stored payload (UI:P), meaning exploitation cannot be completed by the injecting attacker alone without a second victim session. Deployments with a single administrator account, disabled Autotask module, or management interface restricted to trusted IPs with MFA enforced are at materially reduced risk from this vulnerability. |
| Impact | The CVSS 4.0 score of 4.8 accurately captures the constrained real-world impact: PR:H (high privileges to inject) and UI:P (passive interaction from a second victim) are significant limiting factors that substantially narrow the attacker pool - even a mid-sized municipal IT team in gniezno should treat this as lower-urgency than a network-exploitable RCE, provided administrative accounts are protected with MFA and access is restricted to trusted sources. The EPSS score of 0.03% at the 9th percentile aligns with this assessment, indicating very low exploitation probability relative to other known vulnerabilities. The absence of a CISA KEV listing confirms no confirmed active exploitation at time of analysis, and no POC code has surfaced in available intelligence. The scope impact is limited to the subsequent system (SC:L, SI:L) - meaning only session-level data of other authenticated admins can be compromised, with no impact on the firewall's own confidentiality, integrity, or availability. The primary realistic threat scenario is an insider or compromised admin account leveraging the stored payload to pivot laterally to other admin sessions in an MSP environment with multiple shared administrators. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker holding high-privilege administrative credentials on a WatchGuard Fireware OS management interface - via a compromised MSP admin account or malicious insider - navigates to the Autotask Technology Integration module and injects a JavaScript payload into a stored configuration or data entry field. The payload persists server-side until any other authenticated administrator loads the affected page, at which point the script executes silently in their browser, exfiltrating session cookies or management credentials to an attacker-controlled endpoint. No public POC has been identified, but the stored XSS class requires only standard browser-based techniques available to any attacker with prerequisite access. |
Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.
Alert meAnalysisAIv2 – Aug 10, 2026
Stored XSS in WatchGuard Fireware OS's Autotask Technology Integration module enables an authenticated high-privileged attacker to inject persistent malicious scripts that execute in the browsers of other authenticated management-interface users. Affected versions span three active Fireware OS release branches: 12.4 through 12.11.4, 12.5 through 12.5.13, and 2025.1 through 2025.1.2. No public exploit code has been identified and no CISA KEV listing exists, but the stored nature of the XSS in a network security appliance's management plane creates meaningful risk for administrative session hijacking in shared-admin environments.
Earlier versions of this analysis (1)
RemediationAI
Consult WatchGuard advisory WGSA-2025-00023 at https://www.watchguard.com/wgrd-psirt/advisory/wgsa-2025-00023 and apply the vendor-released patch; the exact patched version numbers are not independently confirmed in the available reference data and must be obtained directly from the advisory. As a compensating control where immediate patching is not feasible, disable the Autotask Technology Integration module within Fireware OS if PSA connectivity is not operationally required - this removes the injection surface entirely with no impact on core firewall functionality. Additionally, restrict management interface access to trusted IP ranges via ACL or management VLAN segmentation to limit exposure of the management plane; this does not eliminate the vulnerability but reduces the attacker pool by requiring network adjacency rather than remote access. Enforce multi-factor authentication on all administrative accounts to raise the barrier for initial credential compromise, which is the prerequisite for the PR:H injection step.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
WatchGuard Fireware OS is the firmware operating system running on WatchGuard network security appliances. The vulnerable component is the Autotask Technology Integration module, which facilitates PSA (Professional Services Automation) connectivity - typically used by managed service providers to link firewall events to ticketing workflows. CWE-79 indicates that user-supplied input submitted through this module's configuration or data fields is stored server-side without adequate output encoding and later rendered unsanitized in management web pages viewed by other users. The CPE strings (cpe:2.3:o:watchguard:fireware) confirm the vulnerability is in the OS layer itself across all three affected version branches. The CVSS 4.0 vector's subsequent-system impact metrics (SC:L, SI:L) reflect that the attack's primary effect falls on the browser session of a secondary authenticated user, not on the firewall OS itself.
Know when Watchguard gets its next vulnerability
- Watch products and get an email when something new is published
- Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
No credit card · 7-day full trial
Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N
High privilege required to inject payload (PR:H); user interaction needed to trigger (UI:R); scope changes to victim browser (S:C); only low confidentiality and integrity impact on subsequent user session.
Primary rating from Vendor (5d1c2695-1a31-4499-88ae-e847036fd7e3).
CVSS VectorVendor: 5d1c2695-1a31-4499-88ae-e847036fd7e3
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation (XSS or 'Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in WatchGuard Fireware OS (Autotask Technology Integration module) allows Stored XSS.This issue affects Fireware OS 12.4 up to and including 12.11.4, 12.5 up to and including 12.5.13, and 2025.1 up to and including 2025.1.2.
Executive ViewAI
CVE-2025-13938 presents moderate security risk, a cross-site scripting vulnerability rated CVSS 6.1. Attackers could inject scripts to steal sessions or perform actions as authenticated users. Organizations should apply vendor updates when available and monitor for exploitation.
Apply vendor patch. If patching is delayed: implement CSP headers, enable HttpOnly cookies, deploy WAF XSS rules.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Cross-Site Scripting occurs when an application accepts untrusted data and sends it to a web browser without proper validation or encoding.
More in Watchguard
View allWatchGuard Fireware OS contains an out-of-bounds write in IKEv2 VPN handling enabling unauthenticated remote code execut
Watchguard XCS 9.2 and 10.0 before build 150522 allow remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary commands via shell
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
SQL injection vulnerability in Watchguard XCS 9.2 and 10.0 before build 150522 allows remote attackers to execute arbitr
On WatchGuard Firebox and XTM appliances, an unauthenticated user can execute arbitrary code, aka FBX-22786. Rated criti
An issue was discovered on WatchGuard AP100, AP102, and AP200 devices with firmware before 1.2.9.15. Rated critical seve
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in Hexis HawkEye G 3.0.1.4912 allow remote attackers to hijac
An issue was discovered on WatchGuard AP100, AP102, and AP200 devices with firmware before 1.2.9.15, and AP300 devices w
WatchGuard RapidStream appliances allow local users to gain privileges and execute arbitrary commands via a crafted ifco
Panda Endpoint Administration Agent before 7.50.00, as used in Panda Security for Business products for Windows, uses a
Panda Security URL Filtering before 4.3.1.9 uses a weak ACL for the "Panda Security URL Filtering" directory and install
EUVD-2025-201301
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
VulDB
GitHub PoC
Exploit-DB