CVE-2022-33174
Published: 13 June 2022
Summary
CVE-2022-33174 is a critical-severity Incorrect Authorization (CWE-863) vulnerability in Powertekpdus Basic Pdu Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).
Operationally, ranked in the top 1.2% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
Deeper analysis
Power Distribution Units from multiple brands running Powertek firmware prior to version 3.30.30 contain an authorization bypass vulnerability in the web interface. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2022-33174 and assigned CWE-863, resides in the data retrieval endpoint at /cgi/get_param.cgi. An unauthenticated remote attacker can supply an empty tmpToken cookie value terminated by a semicolon to skip active session checks and retrieve protected fields such as sys.passwd and sys.su.name, which store credentials in cleartext. The issue carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 9.8.
Any network-reachable attacker can exploit the flaw without credentials or user interaction, obtaining administrative usernames and passwords that enable full device compromise. Successful exploitation grants read access to configuration data and can serve as a stepping stone for further attacks on connected infrastructure.
The provided references point to public disclosure analysis indicating that the vulnerability is resolved by upgrading to firmware 3.30.30 or later. The associated EPSS score reached a peak of 0.8172 in late 2025 before receding to its current value of 0.7203, reflecting sustained but fluctuating exploitation interest after publication.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2022-36218
Vulnerability details
Power Distribution Units running on Powertek firmware (multiple brands) before 3.30.30 allows remote authorization bypass in the web interface. To exploit the vulnerability, an attacker must send an HTTP packet to the data retrieval interface (/cgi/get_param.cgi) with the tmpToken cookie…
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set to an empty string followed by a semicolon. This bypasses an active session authorization check. This can be then used to fetch the values of protected sys.passwd and sys.su.name fields that contain the username and password in cleartext.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
No named actor attribution yet. ATT&CK technique mapping in progress for this CVE.
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
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.
Periodic review and update of procedures reduces incorrect authorization implementations over time.
Supervision identifies cases where authorization logic incorrectly permits unauthorized actions.
Defining permitted attribute values and auditing modifications reduces the chance of incorrect authorization outcomes due to tampered or missing labels.
The authorization process and usage restrictions help prevent incorrect authorization for remote access types.
Establishing configuration and connection requirements helps ensure correct rather than incorrect authorization for wireless access.
Establishing connection authorization processes for mobile devices helps ensure authorization decisions are correctly implemented rather than incorrect.
Monitoring account use, notifying on changes, and reviewing accounts for compliance corrects incorrect authorization assignments.
Ensures authorization decisions for external system use are correctly implemented and enforced.