CVE-2022-36446
Webmin ≤ 1.997
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2022-36446 is a critical-severity Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output (CWE-116) vulnerability in Webmin Webmin. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).
Operationally, ranked in the top 0.1% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SI-10 (Information Input Validation) and SI-15 (Information Output Filtering) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
Webmin versions prior to 1.997 contain a command injection vulnerability in software/apt-lib.pl that stems from missing HTML escaping on a UI command. The flaw is tracked as CWE-116 and carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 9.8, reflecting network-accessible attack vectors that require no authentication or user interaction.
Unauthenticated remote attackers can supply crafted input to the affected package-update functionality, resulting in arbitrary command execution on the underlying system with full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact. Public exploit code demonstrates both remote code execution and package-updates command injection against version 1.996.
The referenced GitHub commit and version diff show that the issue was resolved by adding proper output encoding in the 1.997 release. Administrators should upgrade to Webmin 1.997 or later to eliminate the vulnerable code path.
EPSS values remain elevated, with a current score of 0.9293 and a recorded peak of 0.9708, consistent with the availability of working proof-of-concept exploits shortly after disclosure.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2022-39156
Vulnerability Data
software/apt-lib.pl in Webmin before 1.997 lacks HTML escaping for a UI command.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
Likely ATT&CK TechniquesAI
Techniques this vulnerability likely enables, inferred from its description, weakness type, and attributed-actor tradecraft. Confidence is per-technique.
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Directly requires output filtering/encoding to neutralize untrusted content, which is exactly the missing HTML escaping that enabled the apt-lib.pl command injection.
Mandates validation and sanitization of all input before it is used in commands or UI output, blocking the crafted package-update payloads used in this CVE.
Requires timely remediation of known flaws; applying the 1.997 patch that added output encoding eliminates the vulnerable code path described in the CVE.
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.
Secure SDLC practices directly require proper output encoding to prevent injection and message malformation.
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.
Secure coding standards explicitly require correct output encoding and escaping to preserve message structure.
Security testing can detect missing or incorrect encoding but does not itself implement the control.
Secure development life cycle mandates output encoding/escaping practices that directly prevent improper encoding.
Application security requirements include explicit rules for safe output handling and encoding.
Secure architecture principles reduce the likelihood of missing encoding but do not prescribe the actual technique.