CVEs / CVE-2022-42948
CVE-2022-42948: Fortra Cobalt Strike User Interface Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
- Known exploited in the CISA KEV catalog since 30 Mar 2023
- critical 9.8 CVSS 3.1 (NVD)
- EPSS 2.7% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 85% of CVEs (30 Oct 2026)
- Last changed at its sources
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Summary
Fortra Cobalt Strike User Interface contains an unspecified vulnerability rooted in Java Swing that may allow remote code execution.
Description
Cobalt Strike 4.7.1 fails to properly escape HTML tags when they are displayed on Swing components. By injecting crafted HTML code, it is possible to remotely execute code in the Cobalt Strike UI.
Affected and fixed versions
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| n/a n/a | n/a | — |
Exploitation
| In CISA KEV since | 30 Mar 2023 |
|---|---|
| Due date for US federal agencies | 20 Apr 2023 |
| Used in ransomware campaigns | Unknown |
| Required action | Apply updates per vendor instructions. |
Severity
| CVSS 3.1 | 9.8 criticalCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HScored by NVD |
|---|---|
| Weakness | CWE-116 |
References
- CVE-2022-42948 on NVD
- CVE-2022-42948 in the CISA KEV catalog
- https://www.cobaltstrike.com/blog/out-of-band-update-cobalt-strike-4-7-2/ (cited by CISA)
- https://thesecmaster.com/how-to-fix-cve-2022-42948-a-critical-rce-vulnerability-in-cobalt-strike/ Technical Description, Third Party Advisory
- https://www.cobaltstrike.com/blog/ Vendor Advisory
- https://www.redpacketsecurity.com/helpsystems-cobalt-strike-code-execution-cve-2022-42948/ Third Party Advisory
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2022-42948 US Government Resource
Sources
Exploitation status from the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. EPSS scores from FIRST. Descriptions, severity and references from the National Vulnerability Database. Open-source package versions from OSV (CC-BY 4.0). Text is shown as each source states it; Stackurity does not edit it. Check the vendor's advisory before acting.
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.