{"cveID":"CVE-2022-1040","vendorProject":"Sophos","product":"Firewall","vulnerabilityName":"Sophos Firewall Authentication Bypass Vulnerability","dateAdded":"2022-03-31","shortDescription":"An authentication bypass vulnerability in User Portal and Webadmin of Sophos Firewall allows for remote code execution.","requiredAction":"Apply updates per vendor instructions.","dueDate":"2022-04-21","knownRansomwareCampaignUse":"Unknown","notes":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-1040","cwes":["CWE-158"],"year":2022,"state":"mapped","stale_reasons":[],"mappings":[{"domain":"enterprise","cve":"CVE-2022-1040","technique":"T1190","technique_name_at_mapping":"Exploit Public-Facing Application","mapping_type":"exploitation_technique","capability_group":"auth_bypass","comments":"This authentication bypass vulnerability is exploited by remote attackers via the User Portal and Webadmin components. This vulnerability allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the victim machine. \n\nIt was actively exploited by Chinese state-sponsored APT groups, including \"Drifting Cloud,\" to target organizations and governments across South Asia, particularly in Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The attackers leveraged this vulnerability to deploy webshells, conduct man-in-the-middle attacks by modifying DNS responses, and intercept user credentials and session cookies from content management systems.\n\nThis vulnerability was exploited by Chinese state-sponsored threat actors as part of a broader campaign named \"Pacific Rim.\" This campaign involved multiple Chinese APT groups, including APT31, APT41, and Volt Typhoon, targeting Sophos firewalls. The backdoor PygmyGoat, a novel rootkit that takes the form of a shared object (\"libsophos.so\"), has been found to be delivered following the exploitation of this vulnerability. The use of the rootkit was observed between March and April 2022 on a government device and a technology partner, and again in May 2022 on a machine in a military hospital based in Asia.\n\nThis vulnerability was also exploited by at least two advanced persistent threat (APT) groups in a highly targeted attack campaign. The attackers used the vulnerability to place malicious files into a fixed filesystem location on affected devices, leveraging a combination of authentication bypass and command injection to execute arbitrary commands as root.\n\nThe attack involved deploying various malware families, including GoMet and Gh0st RAT, to maintain persistent access and exfiltrate sensitive data. The attackers demonstrated significant knowledge of the device firmware, using custom ELF binaries and runtime packers like VMProtect to complicate analysis. They manipulated internal commands to move and manipulate files, execute processes, and exfiltrate data. The campaign targeted network security devices, employing a two-stage attack to drop remote access tools and execute commands remotely.","references":["https://thehackernews.com/2024/11/fbi-seeks-public-help-to-identify.html","https://therecord.media/chinese-apt-groups-targeting-india-pakistan-and-more-with-sophos-firewall-vulnerability","https://securityaffairs.com/132377/apt/chinese-driftingcloud-apt-exploited-sophos-firewall-zero-day-before-it-was-fixed.html"],"status":"complete","source_file":"kev-07.28.2025_attack-16.1-enterprise.json","attack_version":"16.1","kev_snapshot":"07/28/2025"},{"domain":"enterprise","cve":"CVE-2022-1040","technique":"T1040","technique_name_at_mapping":"Network Sniffing","mapping_type":"secondary_impact","capability_group":"auth_bypass","comments":"This authentication bypass vulnerability is exploited by remote attackers via the User Portal and Webadmin components. This vulnerability allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the victim machine. \n\nIt was actively exploited by Chinese state-sponsored APT groups, including \"Drifting Cloud,\" to target organizations and governments across South Asia, particularly in Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The attackers leveraged this vulnerability to deploy webshells, conduct man-in-the-middle attacks by modifying DNS responses, and intercept user credentials and session cookies from content management systems.\n\nThis vulnerability was exploited by Chinese state-sponsored threat actors as part of a broader campaign named \"Pacific Rim.\" This campaign involved multiple Chinese APT groups, including APT31, APT41, and Volt Typhoon, targeting Sophos firewalls. The backdoor PygmyGoat, a novel rootkit that takes the form of a shared object (\"libsophos.so\"), has been found to be delivered following the exploitation of this vulnerability. The use of the rootkit was observed between March and April 2022 on a government device and a technology partner, and again in May 2022 on a machine in a military hospital based in Asia.\n\nThis vulnerability was also exploited by at least two advanced persistent threat (APT) groups in a highly targeted attack campaign. The attackers used the vulnerability to place malicious files into a fixed filesystem location on affected devices, leveraging a combination of authentication bypass and command injection to execute arbitrary commands as root.\n\nThe attack involved deploying various malware families, including GoMet and Gh0st RAT, to maintain persistent access and exfiltrate sensitive data. The attackers demonstrated significant knowledge of the device firmware, using custom ELF binaries and runtime packers like VMProtect to complicate analysis. They manipulated internal commands to move and manipulate files, execute processes, and exfiltrate data. The campaign targeted network security devices, employing a two-stage attack to drop remote access tools and execute commands remotely.","references":["https://thehackernews.com/2024/11/fbi-seeks-public-help-to-identify.html","https://therecord.media/chinese-apt-groups-targeting-india-pakistan-and-more-with-sophos-firewall-vulnerability","https://securityaffairs.com/132377/apt/chinese-driftingcloud-apt-exploited-sophos-firewall-zero-day-before-it-was-fixed.html"],"status":"complete","source_file":"kev-07.28.2025_attack-16.1-enterprise.json","attack_version":"16.1","kev_snapshot":"07/28/2025"},{"domain":"enterprise","cve":"CVE-2022-1040","technique":"T1059","technique_name_at_mapping":"Command and Scripting Interpreter","mapping_type":"primary_impact","capability_group":"auth_bypass","comments":"This authentication bypass vulnerability is exploited by remote attackers via the User Portal and Webadmin components. This vulnerability allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the victim machine. \n\nIt was actively exploited by Chinese state-sponsored APT groups, including \"Drifting Cloud,\" to target organizations and governments across South Asia, particularly in Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The attackers leveraged this vulnerability to deploy webshells, conduct man-in-the-middle attacks by modifying DNS responses, and intercept user credentials and session cookies from content management systems.\n\nThis vulnerability was exploited by Chinese state-sponsored threat actors as part of a broader campaign named \"Pacific Rim.\" This campaign involved multiple Chinese APT groups, including APT31, APT41, and Volt Typhoon, targeting Sophos firewalls. The backdoor PygmyGoat, a novel rootkit that takes the form of a shared object (\"libsophos.so\"), has been found to be delivered following the exploitation of this vulnerability. The use of the rootkit was observed between March and April 2022 on a government device and a technology partner, and again in May 2022 on a machine in a military hospital based in Asia.\n\nThis vulnerability was also exploited by at least two advanced persistent threat (APT) groups in a highly targeted attack campaign. The attackers used the vulnerability to place malicious files into a fixed filesystem location on affected devices, leveraging a combination of authentication bypass and command injection to execute arbitrary commands as root.\n\nThe attack involved deploying various malware families, including GoMet and Gh0st RAT, to maintain persistent access and exfiltrate sensitive data. The attackers demonstrated significant knowledge of the device firmware, using custom ELF binaries and runtime packers like VMProtect to complicate analysis. They manipulated internal commands to move and manipulate files, execute processes, and exfiltrate data. The campaign targeted network security devices, employing a two-stage attack to drop remote access tools and execute commands remotely.","references":["https://therecord.media/chinese-apt-groups-targeting-india-pakistan-and-more-with-sophos-firewall-vulnerability","https://securityaffairs.com/132377/apt/chinese-driftingcloud-apt-exploited-sophos-firewall-zero-day-before-it-was-fixed.html"],"status":"complete","source_file":"kev-07.28.2025_attack-16.1-enterprise.json","attack_version":"16.1","kev_snapshot":"07/28/2025"},{"domain":"enterprise","cve":"CVE-2022-1040","technique":"T1078","technique_name_at_mapping":"Valid Accounts","mapping_type":"secondary_impact","capability_group":"auth_bypass","comments":"This authentication bypass vulnerability is exploited by remote attackers via the User Portal and Webadmin components. This vulnerability allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the victim machine. \n\nIt was actively exploited by Chinese state-sponsored APT groups, including \"Drifting Cloud,\" to target organizations and governments across South Asia, particularly in Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The attackers leveraged this vulnerability to deploy webshells, conduct man-in-the-middle attacks by modifying DNS responses, and intercept user credentials and session cookies from content management systems.\n\nThis vulnerability was exploited by Chinese state-sponsored threat actors as part of a broader campaign named \"Pacific Rim.\" This campaign involved multiple Chinese APT groups, including APT31, APT41, and Volt Typhoon, targeting Sophos firewalls. The backdoor PygmyGoat, a novel rootkit that takes the form of a shared object (\"libsophos.so\"), has been found to be delivered following the exploitation of this vulnerability. The use of the rootkit was observed between March and April 2022 on a government device and a technology partner, and again in May 2022 on a machine in a military hospital based in Asia.\n\nThis vulnerability was also exploited by at least two advanced persistent threat (APT) groups in a highly targeted attack campaign. The attackers used the vulnerability to place malicious files into a fixed filesystem location on affected devices, leveraging a combination of authentication bypass and command injection to execute arbitrary commands as root.\n\nThe attack involved deploying various malware families, including GoMet and Gh0st RAT, to maintain persistent access and exfiltrate sensitive data. The attackers demonstrated significant knowledge of the device firmware, using custom ELF binaries and runtime packers like VMProtect to complicate analysis. They manipulated internal commands to move and manipulate files, execute processes, and exfiltrate data. The campaign targeted network security devices, employing a two-stage attack to drop remote access tools and execute commands remotely.","references":["https://therecord.media/chinese-apt-groups-targeting-india-pakistan-and-more-with-sophos-firewall-vulnerability","https://securityaffairs.com/132377/apt/chinese-driftingcloud-apt-exploited-sophos-firewall-zero-day-before-it-was-fixed.html"],"status":"complete","source_file":"kev-07.28.2025_attack-16.1-enterprise.json","attack_version":"16.1","kev_snapshot":"07/28/2025"},{"domain":"enterprise","cve":"CVE-2022-1040","technique":"T1557","technique_name_at_mapping":"Adversary-in-the-Middle","mapping_type":"secondary_impact","capability_group":"auth_bypass","comments":"This authentication bypass vulnerability is exploited by remote attackers via the User Portal and Webadmin components. This vulnerability allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the victim machine. \n\nIt was actively exploited by Chinese state-sponsored APT groups, including \"Drifting Cloud,\" to target organizations and governments across South Asia, particularly in Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The attackers leveraged this vulnerability to deploy webshells, conduct man-in-the-middle attacks by modifying DNS responses, and intercept user credentials and session cookies from content management systems.\n\nThis vulnerability was exploited by Chinese state-sponsored threat actors as part of a broader campaign named \"Pacific Rim.\" This campaign involved multiple Chinese APT groups, including APT31, APT41, and Volt Typhoon, targeting Sophos firewalls. The backdoor PygmyGoat, a novel rootkit that takes the form of a shared object (\"libsophos.so\"), has been found to be delivered following the exploitation of this vulnerability. The use of the rootkit was observed between March and April 2022 on a government device and a technology partner, and again in May 2022 on a machine in a military hospital based in Asia.\n\nThis vulnerability was also exploited by at least two advanced persistent threat (APT) groups in a highly targeted attack campaign. The attackers used the vulnerability to place malicious files into a fixed filesystem location on affected devices, leveraging a combination of authentication bypass and command injection to execute arbitrary commands as root.\n\nThe attack involved deploying various malware families, including GoMet and Gh0st RAT, to maintain persistent access and exfiltrate sensitive data. The attackers demonstrated significant knowledge of the device firmware, using custom ELF binaries and runtime packers like VMProtect to complicate analysis. They manipulated internal commands to move and manipulate files, execute processes, and exfiltrate data. The campaign targeted network security devices, employing a two-stage attack to drop remote access tools and execute commands remotely.","references":["https://therecord.media/chinese-apt-groups-targeting-india-pakistan-and-more-with-sophos-firewall-vulnerability","https://securityaffairs.com/132377/apt/chinese-driftingcloud-apt-exploited-sophos-firewall-zero-day-before-it-was-fixed.html"],"status":"complete","source_file":"kev-07.28.2025_attack-16.1-enterprise.json","attack_version":"16.1","kev_snapshot":"07/28/2025"},{"domain":"enterprise","cve":"CVE-2022-1040","technique":"T1574","technique_name_at_mapping":"Hijack Execution Flow","mapping_type":"secondary_impact","capability_group":"auth_bypass","comments":"This authentication bypass vulnerability is exploited by remote attackers via the User Portal and Webadmin components. This vulnerability allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the victim machine. \n\nIt was actively exploited by Chinese state-sponsored APT groups, including \"Drifting Cloud,\" to target organizations and governments across South Asia, particularly in Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The attackers leveraged this vulnerability to deploy webshells, conduct man-in-the-middle attacks by modifying DNS responses, and intercept user credentials and session cookies from content management systems.\n\nThis vulnerability was exploited by Chinese state-sponsored threat actors as part of a broader campaign named \"Pacific Rim.\" This campaign involved multiple Chinese APT groups, including APT31, APT41, and Volt Typhoon, targeting Sophos firewalls. The backdoor PygmyGoat, a novel rootkit that takes the form of a shared object (\"libsophos.so\"), has been found to be delivered following the exploitation of this vulnerability. The use of the rootkit was observed between March and April 2022 on a government device and a technology partner, and again in May 2022 on a machine in a military hospital based in Asia.\n\nThis vulnerability was also exploited by at least two advanced persistent threat (APT) groups in a highly targeted attack campaign. The attackers used the vulnerability to place malicious files into a fixed filesystem location on affected devices, leveraging a combination of authentication bypass and command injection to execute arbitrary commands as root.\n\nThe attack involved deploying various malware families, including GoMet and Gh0st RAT, to maintain persistent access and exfiltrate sensitive data. The attackers demonstrated significant knowledge of the device firmware, using custom ELF binaries and runtime packers like VMProtect to complicate analysis. They manipulated internal commands to move and manipulate files, execute processes, and exfiltrate data. The campaign targeted network security devices, employing a two-stage attack to drop remote access tools and execute commands remotely.","references":["https://thehackernews.com/2024/11/fbi-seeks-public-help-to-identify.html","https://therecord.media/chinese-apt-groups-targeting-india-pakistan-and-more-with-sophos-firewall-vulnerability","https://securityaffairs.com/132377/apt/chinese-driftingcloud-apt-exploited-sophos-firewall-zero-day-before-it-was-fixed.html"],"status":"complete","source_file":"kev-07.28.2025_attack-16.1-enterprise.json","attack_version":"16.1","kev_snapshot":"07/28/2025"}],"techniques":[{"id":"T1040","domains":["enterprise"],"in_current_bundle":true,"live":true,"name_now":"Network Sniffing","name_at_mapping":"Network Sniffing","renamed":false,"revoked_by":null,"mapping_types":["secondary_impact"],"sigma_rule_count":9,"has_detection_strategy":true},{"id":"T1059","domains":["enterprise"],"in_current_bundle":true,"live":true,"name_now":"Command and Scripting Interpreter","name_at_mapping":"Command and Scripting Interpreter","renamed":false,"revoked_by":null,"mapping_types":["primary_impact"],"sigma_rule_count":95,"has_detection_strategy":true},{"id":"T1078","domains":["enterprise"],"in_current_bundle":true,"live":true,"name_now":"Valid Accounts","name_at_mapping":"Valid Accounts","renamed":false,"revoked_by":null,"mapping_types":["secondary_impact"],"sigma_rule_count":56,"has_detection_strategy":true},{"id":"T1190","domains":["enterprise"],"in_current_bundle":true,"live":true,"name_now":"Exploit Public-Facing Application","name_at_mapping":"Exploit Public-Facing Application","renamed":false,"revoked_by":null,"mapping_types":["exploitation_technique"],"sigma_rule_count":149,"has_detection_strategy":true},{"id":"T1557","domains":["enterprise"],"in_current_bundle":true,"live":true,"name_now":"Adversary-in-the-Middle","name_at_mapping":"Adversary-in-the-Middle","renamed":false,"revoked_by":null,"mapping_types":["secondary_impact"],"sigma_rule_count":10,"has_detection_strategy":true},{"id":"T1574","domains":["enterprise"],"in_current_bundle":true,"live":true,"name_now":"Hijack Execution Flow","name_at_mapping":"Hijack Execution Flow","renamed":false,"revoked_by":null,"mapping_types":["secondary_impact"],"sigma_rule_count":8,"has_detection_strategy":true}],"mapping_types":["exploitation_technique","primary_impact","secondary_impact"],"has_exploitation_technique":true,"mapping_attack_versions":["16.1"],"mapping_domains":["enterprise"],"sigma_coverage":"full","sigma_rules_tagged_cve":[],"added_after_mapping_snapshot":false,"_source":"kevmap","_built":"2026-08-23 05:47 UTC","_attack_version":"19.2"}