Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2024-5974 is a high-severity Classic Buffer Overflow (CWE-120) vulnerability in Watchguard Fireware. Its CVSS base score is 7.2 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked in the top 41% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — 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.
A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in WatchGuard Fireware OS, tracked as CVE-2024-5974 under CWE-120. The flaw affects versions 11.9.6 through 12.10.3 and received a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.2 reflecting network attack vector, low attack complexity, and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
An authenticated remote attacker with privileged management access can exploit the condition to execute arbitrary code with full system privileges on the firewall. No unauthenticated or low-privileged vectors are indicated.
WatchGuard published advisory WGSA-2024-00011 at https://www.watchguard.com/wgrd-psirt/advisory/wgsa-2024-00011. The EPSS score has remained flat at 0.0634 with no material rise after disclosure.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2024-47161
Vulnerability Data
A buffer overflow in WatchGuard Fireware OS could may allow an authenticated remote attacker with privileged management access to execute arbitrary code with system privileges on the firewall. This issue affects Fireware OS: from 11.9.6 through 12.10.3.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V5.2.1
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and analysis can find missing size checks before deployment.
Input validation directly enforces size checks before buffer copies.
Engineering principles require bounds checking and safe buffer handling in design.
Memory protection limits the impact of an overflow once it occurs.
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 development practices directly enforce bounds checking and input validation that prevent classic buffer overflows.
Vulnerability identification processes such as code review or scanning detect classic buffer overflows before exploitation.
Routine patching replaces vulnerable code containing unchecked buffer copies with corrected versions.
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 directly requires bounds-checked memory operations, addressing the root cause of CWE-120.
Security testing in development and acceptance can detect buffer overflows through fuzzing and static analysis, though it does not prevent them at the source.
Secure development life cycle mandates processes that can include input validation and bounds checking to prevent buffer overflows.
Application security requirements can specify input-size validation and safe buffer handling to mitigate classic buffer overflows.
Secure system architecture and engineering principles promote defensive coding patterns that reduce the likelihood of unchecked buffer copies.