Cyber Resilience

CVE-2022-27518

Citrix Application Delivery Controller Firmware 12.1 – 12.1-55.291

CISA KEVActive ExploitationEUVD Exploited
Published
13 December 2022
Modified
25 February 2026
KEV Added
13 December 2022
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 9.8
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:H
EPSS Score 0.069 93th percentile
Risk Priority 97 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2022-27518 is a critical-severity Improper Control of a Resource Through its Lifetime (CWE-664) vulnerability in Citrix Application Delivery Controller Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Process Injection (T1055); ranked in the top 7% 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-2022-27518 is an unauthenticated remote arbitrary code execution vulnerability carrying a CVSS 3.1 score of 9.8. The affected component is a Citrix product, as documented in the vendor advisory CTX474995.

An attacker can exploit the flaw over the network without any credentials or user interaction, resulting in full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability on the target system.

The Citrix support article CTX474995 and the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog both address the issue, directing administrators to available patches and remediation steps.

The vulnerability appears in the CISA catalog, confirming observed exploitation in the wild, while its EPSS score has remained flat at a peak of 0.2769.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Unauthenticated remote arbitrary code execution

CWE(s)
KEV Date Added
13 December 2022

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1055 Process Injection Stealth
Adversaries may inject code into processes in order to evade process-based defenses as well as possibly elevate privileges.
T1134 Access Token Manipulation Stealth
Adversaries may modify access tokens to operate under a different user or system security context to perform actions and bypass access controls.
T1134.002 Create Process with Token Stealth
Adversaries may create a new process with an existing token to escalate privileges and bypass access controls.
T1606 Forge Web Credentials Credential Access
Adversaries may forge credential materials that can be used to gain access to web applications or Internet services.
T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
T1134.001 Token Impersonation/Theft Stealth
Adversaries may duplicate then impersonate another user's existing token to escalate privileges and bypass access controls.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2019-19781Same product: Citrix Application Delivery Controllerboth on KEV
CVE-2024-7889Same vendor: Citrix
CVE-2020-8195Same product: Citrix Application Delivery Controller Firmwareboth on KEV
CVE-2020-8193Same product: Citrix Application Delivery Controller Firmwareboth on KEV
CVE-2020-8196Same product: Citrix Application Delivery Controller Firmwareboth on KEV
CVE-2023-4966Same vendor: Citrixboth on KEV
CVE-2025-6543Same vendor: Citrixboth on KEV
CVE-2025-7775Same vendor: Citrixboth on KEV
CVE-2023-6549Same vendor: Citrixboth on KEV
CVE-2026-3055Same vendor: Citrixboth on KEV

Affected Assets

citrix
application delivery controller firmware
12.1 — 12.1-55.291 · 12.1 — 12.1-55.291 · 12.1 — 12.1-65.25
citrix
gateway firmware
12.1 — 12.1-65.25 · 13.0 — 13.0-58.32

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 4 hardening rules · 3 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)

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-664

Requires a managed development lifecycle process with integrity controls on changes, improving control of resources throughout their lifetime.

addresses: CWE-664

Requires designing resource lifetime controls that anticipate, withstand, and recover from stresses or attacks, mitigating improper resource control.

addresses: CWE-664

Directly enforces limited resource lifetime by requiring initiation from a known state and explicit termination, shrinking the window any long-lived resource weakness can be exploited.

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.

ID.AM-08 full match
prevents

Directly requires managing assets through creation, use, and disposal phases, preventing lifetime control failures.

PR.PS-01 mostly match
prevents

Enforces consistent configuration and handling rules that reduce improper resource lifetime management.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Integrates secure practices across the full development lifecycle, addressing resource creation-to-release control.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Covers ongoing maintenance and removal of software, indirectly limiting resource lifetime issues.

PR.PS-03 partial match
prevents

Addresses hardware maintenance and replacement phases that intersect with resource lifetime control.

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.

prevents

Information deletion control ensures proper release and sanitization at end of life.

prevents

Secure SDLC embeds resource lifecycle controls from design through decommissioning.

prevents

Secure architecture principles reduce lifetime control issues but are not specific to them.

prevents

Secure coding practices help avoid lifetime control bugs but do not address the full scope.

degrades

Configuration management enforces lifecycle rules for resource creation, use and disposal.

none

Backups preserve resources but do not govern their full lifetime control.

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` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).

Windows Server 2016 (2 rules)
  • V-224971 The Active Directory SYSVOL directory must have the proper access control permissions. prevents CWE-664
  • V-224970 Permissions on the Active Directory data files must only allow System and Administrators access. prevents CWE-664
Windows Server 2019 (1 rule)
  • V-205739 Windows Server 2019 permissions on the Active Directory data files must only allow System and Administrators access. prevents CWE-664

References