A pre-auth command injection vulnerability in the warn-proceed handler of Sophos Web Appliance older than version 4.3.10.4 allows execution
A pre-auth command injection vulnerability in the warn-proceed handler of Sophos Web Appliance older than version 4.3.10.4 allows execution of arbitrary code.
- Published
- Apr 4, 2023
- Updated
- Jun 17, 2026
- EPSS
- 100.0% · 100th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-77
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Report tools
Action score
99
Now
Patch today or shut off access.
- CVSS
- 39 / 40 · 9.8 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 30 / 30 · Listed
- EPSS
- 30 / 30 · 100.0%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- active
- Automatable
- yes
- Technical impact
- total
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- 9.8
- CNA · Sophos
- 9.8
- agree
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Actively exploited in the wild
CISA added this to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on Nov 16, 2023. That signals real attacks, not theory.
Remediation deadline for government agencies: Dec 7, 2023.
Affected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| sophos | web appliance | cpe:2.3:a:sophos:web_appliance |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- sophos web appliancebefore 4.3.10.4
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (Sophos). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
Sophos Sophos Web Appliance
- unspecified and later · before 4.3.10.4affected
Same product
sophos: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2017-6182In Sophos Web Appliance (SWA) before 4.3.1.2, a section of the machine's interface responsible for generating reports was vulnerable to remo44Plan
- CVE-2016-9554The Sophos Web Appliance Remote / Secure Web Gateway server (version 4.2.1.3) is vulnerable to a Remote Command Injection vulnerability in i35Monitor
- CVE-2017-6412In Sophos Web Appliance (SWA) before 4.3.1.2, Session Fixation could occur, aka NSWA-1310.34Monitor
- CVE-2016-9553The Sophos Web Appliance (version 4.2.1.3) is vulnerable to two Remote Command Injection vulnerabilities affecting its web administrative in34Monitor
- CVE-2013-4984The close_connections function in /opt/cma/bin/clear_keys.pl in Sophos Web Appliance before 3.7.9.1 and 3.8 before 3.8.1.1 allows local user30Monitor
- CVE-2022-4934A post-auth command injection vulnerability in the exception wizard of Sophos Web Appliance older than version 4.3.10.4 allows administrator29Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.
Exploit status
Weaponized
A ready exploit tool or active in-the-wild use is known for this vulnerability. This should be your top priority.
Evidence
- Exploit-DB entry ×1
- Nuclei detection template ×1
- Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub ×3
Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.
| Source | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Exploit-DB entry | webapps | 2023-04-25 |
| Nuclei detection template | Nuclei template CVE-2023-1671 | — |
| Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub | stars:3 | 2023-04-23 |
| Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub | stars:16 | 2023-04-24 |
| Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub | stars:0 | 2023-05-17 |
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
- Published
- First PoC+19 d
- CISA KEV+226 d
- TodaySep 29, 2026+1275 d
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
The product’s vendor appears in a public program. Matched by name; verify the scope text in the program.
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- No account or password is required.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-77 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvd-primary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- LDAP InjectionCAPEC-136likelihood: High · High
- Command DelimitersCAPEC-15likelihood: High · High
- IMAP/SMTP Command InjectionCAPEC-183Medium
- Command InjectionCAPEC-248likelihood: Medium · High
- Manipulating Writeable Terminal DevicesCAPEC-40likelihood: High · Very High
- Exploiting Multiple Input Interpretation LayersCAPEC-43likelihood: Medium · High
- Manipulating Writeable Configuration FilesCAPEC-75likelihood: High · Very High
- Manipulating Web Input to File System CallsCAPEC-76likelihood: High · Very High
ATT&CK techniques
—
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for all 385,000+ vulnerabilities; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for helpChange log
No changes recorded on tracked fields yet. Score, KEV, exploit maturity and fix status changes appear here.
References
- www.sophos.com/en-us/security-advisories/sophos-sa-20230404-swa-rce
- www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-1671
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.