Security Resilience

CVE-2022-23131

Auth Bypass in Zabbix 5.4.0 – 5.4.8

CISA KEVActive ExploitationEUVD ExploitedAuth Bypass
Published
13 January 2022
Modified
30 October 2025
KEV Added
22 February 2022
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 9.1
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
EPSS Score 0.96 99.9th percentile
Risk Priority 93 floored blend · peak EPSS

CVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.

Summary

CVE-2022-23131 is a critical-severity Authentication Bypass by Spoofing (CWE-290) vulnerability in Zabbix Zabbix. Its CVSS base score is 9.1 (Critical).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Junk Data (T1001.001); ranked in the top 0.1% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2022-23131 affects the Zabbix Frontend in cases where SAML SSO authentication is enabled, a non-default configuration. The flaw stems from insufficient verification of the user login value stored in session data, which allows modification by an attacker and is tracked under CWE-290.

An unauthenticated remote attacker who knows a valid Zabbix username, or who can leverage the disabled-by-default guest account, can exploit the issue to modify session data, escalate privileges, and obtain administrative access to the frontend. The vulnerability carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 9.1, reflecting network attack vector, low complexity, and no required privileges or user interaction.

Zabbix support references ZBX-20350 and the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog document the issue and list it among vulnerabilities observed in active exploitation, indicating that organizations should apply available patches or configuration changes to disable SAML SSO when not required.

The EPSS score has reached a peak of 0.9736 with a current value of 0.9405, confirming sustained exploitation interest after disclosure.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

In the case of instances where the SAML SSO authentication is enabled (non-default), session data can be modified by a malicious actor, because a user login stored in the session was not verified. Malicious unauthenticated actor may exploit this issue…

more

to escalate privileges and gain admin access to Zabbix Frontend. To perform the attack, SAML authentication is required to be enabled and the actor has to know the username of Zabbix user (or use the guest account, which is disabled by default).

CWE(s)
KEV Date Added
22 February 2022

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1001.001 Junk Data Command And Control
Adversaries may add junk data to protocols used for command and control to make detection more difficult.
T1003.003 NTDS Credential Access
Adversaries may attempt to access or create a copy of the Active Directory domain database in order to steal credential information, as well as obtain other information about domain members such as devices, users, and access rights.
T1003.005 Cached Domain Credentials Credential Access
Adversaries may attempt to access cached domain credentials used to allow authentication to occur in the event a domain controller is unavailable.
T1006 Direct Volume Access Stealth
Adversaries may directly access a volume to bypass file access controls and file system monitoring.
T1021.003 Distributed Component Object Model Lateral Movement
Adversaries may use [Valid Accounts](https://attack.
T1027 Obfuscated Files or Information Stealth
Adversaries may attempt to make an executable or file difficult to discover or analyze by encrypting, encoding, or otherwise obfuscating its contents on the system or in transit.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2024-36466Same product: Zabbix Zabbix
CVE-2026-23928Same product: Zabbix Zabbix
CVE-2023-32721Same product: Zabbix Zabbix
CVE-2024-22119Same product: Zabbix Zabbix
CVE-2026-23926Same product: Zabbix Zabbix
CVE-2024-45699Same product: Zabbix Zabbix
CVE-2023-29452Same product: Zabbix Zabbix
CVE-2024-42326Same product: Zabbix Zabbix
CVE-2025-49641Same product: Zabbix Zabbix
CVE-2026-23924Same product: Zabbix Zabbix

Affected Assets

zabbix
zabbix
6.0.0 · 5.4.0 — 5.4.8

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

—

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 3 hardening rules · 3 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V6.4.3
  • V10.4.16
  • V11.4.3

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-290

Reveals spoofed logon attempts through unexpected previous logon timestamps upon legitimate login.

addresses: CWE-290

Training specifically addresses recognizing spoofed communications and phishing that enable authentication bypass.

addresses: CWE-290

Requiring verifiable identity evidence at appropriate assurance levels makes it substantially harder for attackers to successfully spoof or impersonate users to obtain accounts.

addresses: CWE-290

Unique device authentication makes successful spoofing of device identity substantially more difficult to achieve.

addresses: CWE-290

Unique identification of non-organizational users reduces the feasibility of authentication bypass by spoofing.

addresses: CWE-290

Unique identification and authentication of services before communications makes spoofing of service identities substantially harder.

addresses: CWE-290

Isolated trusted path ensures the user interacts only with genuine system components, preventing spoofing of authentication interfaces or prompts.

addresses: CWE-290

Directly counters DNS response spoofing by requiring cryptographic origin authentication artifacts from the authoritative source.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.AA-02 partial match
blocks

Proofing and binding identities reduces spoofing opportunities during enrollment but does not address runtime authentication implementation flaws.

PR.AA-03 partial match
blocks

Requiring authentication of users/services/hardware directly counters spoofing-based bypass when strong methods are used.

PR.AA-04 partial match
blocks

Protecting, conveying, and verifying identity assertions specifically prevents the spoofing that enables authentication bypass.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

removes
blocks

A.5.15 only requires that an access control policy and requirements be defined and communicated; it does not itself implement, enforce or configure any authentication scheme that would stop spoofing attacks from bypassing authentication, so the weakness remains fully exploitable.

blocks

A.5.16 manages the lifecycle, uniqueness, and accountability of identities; it does not implement or strengthen authentication schemes against spoofing, so the CWE-290 exploit remains possible even when identities are correctly provisioned and tracked.

blocks

Authentication information management directly addresses credential handling that prevents spoofing.

blocks

A.5.18 governs the provisioning, review, and revocation of already-granted access rights to authenticated identities; it has no bearing on whether an authentication scheme can be spoofed or bypassed before any rights are assigned.

removes

Hardening callouts derived

Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (higher-evidence rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).

Oracle Linux 8 (1 rule)
  • V-248827 OL 8 must not have the rsh-server package installed. blocks CWE-290
RHEL 7 (1 rule)
  • V-204442 The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must not have the rsh-server package installed. blocks CWE-290
RHEL 8 (1 rule)
  • V-230492 RHEL 8 must not have the rsh-server package installed. blocks CWE-290

References