CVE-2022-39197
Fortra Cobalt Strike Teamserver Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Vulnerability
Fortra Cobalt Strike
An XSS (Cross Site Scripting) vulnerability was found in HelpSystems Cobalt Strike through 4.7 that allowed a remote attacker to execute HTML on the Cobalt Strike teamserver. To exploit the vulnerability, one must first inspect a Cobalt Strike payload, and then modify the username field in the payload (or create a new payload with the extracted information and then modify that username field to be malformed).
Exploitation status
CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
Listed by CISA on 30 March 2023. US federal agencies were required to remediate it by 20 April 2023.
EPSS — exploitation probability
FIRST puts the probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days at 46.4%, which is higher than 98.8% of all scored vulnerabilities. EPSS is a forecast of activity, not a measure of severity, and it is rescored daily.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Frequently asked questions
Is CVE-2022-39197 being exploited by ransomware groups?
No ransomware group in this database is currently recorded as exploiting CVE-2022-39197.
What does CVE-2022-39197 affect?
CVE-2022-39197 affects Fortra Cobalt Strike. An XSS (Cross Site Scripting) vulnerability was found in HelpSystems Cobalt Strike through 4.7 that allowed a remote attacker to execute HTML on the Cobalt Strike teamserver. To exploit the vulnerability, one must first inspect a Cobalt Strike payload, and then modify the username field in the payload (or create a new payload with the extracted information and then modify that username field to be malformed).
How severe is CVE-2022-39197?
CVE-2022-39197 is rated MEDIUM with a CVSS base score of 6.1. EPSS puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 46.4%, higher than 98.8% of all scored vulnerabilities. It is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, with a federal remediation deadline of 20 April 2023.
How should organisations respond to CVE-2022-39197?
Apply the vendor patch for Fortra Cobalt Strike as the first priority, and treat any internet-facing instance as the most urgent. Because this vulnerability is associated with ransomware activity, also review whether the affected systems were reachable before patching, rather than assuming that patching alone closes the incident.