CVE-2022-1040
CVE-2022-1040 is a security flaw in Sophos Firewall. Attackers can run their own code on Sophos Firewall. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 31 Mar 2022.[1]
Sophos Firewall is business software or equipment. Most families won’t have it, but attackers break into it to get inside companies, and from there to what those companies hold about their customers, patients and staff. Sophos has published a fix or advice.
Description
CISA calls it an authentication bypass in Sophos Firewall. In its words: “An authentication bypass vulnerability in User Portal and Webadmin of Sophos Firewall allows for remote code execution.”[1]
The underlying weakness is CWE-158, in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.[2]
It scores 9.8 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it critical, scored by NVD using CVSS 3.1.[2]
Affected versions
NVD’s record doesn’t list version ranges for it; Sophos’s advisory has them[3]. CISA names the product as Sophos Firewall.
Most families won’t have Sophos Firewall; it’s for whoever looks after IT at work.
Exploitation
CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 31 Mar 2022, 6 days after it was made public. CISA lists a flaw only when it has reliable evidence of it being exploited, and gave US federal agencies until 21 Apr 2022 to fix it.[1]
FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System, which estimates how likely a flaw is to be used in attacks in the next 30 days from what it sees across the internet, puts it at over 99%. That’s in the top 1% of the flaws it scores.[4]
CISA assesses it as automatable: attackers can run it against many targets at once.
CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.
Fix
Sophos has published a fix or advice.[3] CISA’s required action: “Apply updates per vendor instructions.”[1]
- Check whether you use it.Sophos Firewall is business software or equipment, so most families won’t have it. If you run a business, or work from home on company equipment, ask whoever looks after your IT.
- Send this page to your IT person.Ask them to confirm it’s fixed, or not in use. CISA gave US government agencies until 21 Apr 2022 to fix it.
- If it can’t be fixed, take it offline.CISA’s advice when there’s no fix is to stop using the product, or take it off the internet, until there is one.
You can’t fix someone else’s server, but you can watch for what follows a break-in like this: a breach notice, a password reset you didn’t ask for, or a scam message that knows things it shouldn’t. HARD watches for those for you and your family.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| The flaw is made public in the National Vulnerability Database, with a severity score of 9.8.[2] | |
| CISA adds it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks.[1] | |
| CISA’s deadline for US government agencies to fix it.[1] | |
| FIRST puts the odds of it being used in attacks in the next 30 days at over 99%.[4] |
See also
Other Sophos Firewall flaws
- CVE-2022-3236: code injection ·
Other Sophos flaws
- CVE-2020-29574, Sophos CyberoamOS: (CROS) SQL injection ·
- CVE-2020-15069, Sophos XG Firewall: buffer overflow ·
- CVE-2023-1671, Sophos Web Appliance: command injection ·
- CVE-2020-25223, Sophos SG UTM: remote code execution ·
- CVE-2020-12271, Sophos SFOS: SQL injection ·
Similar flaws
- CVE-2009-1537, Microsoft DirectX: NULL byte overwrite ·
- CVE-2025-47812, Wing FTP Server: improper neutralization of null byte or NUL character ·
Added the same day
- CVE-2022-26871, Trend Micro Apex Central: arbitrary file upload ·
- CVE-2021-34484, Microsoft Windows: user profile service privilege escalation ·
- CVE-2021-28799, QNAP Network Attached Storage (NAS): NAS improper authorization ·
- CVE-2021-21551, Dell dbutil Driver: insufficient access control ·
- CVE-2018-10562, Dasan Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) Routers: GPON routers command injection ·
Every Sophos flaw on CISA’s list · Everything added in March 2022
References
- ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “Sophos Firewall Authentication Bypass Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 31 Mar 2022.
- ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2022-1040 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 25 Mar 2022.
- ^ Sophos. Advisories and fixes: sophos.com.
- ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.998, percentile 100.0, 31 Oct 2026.
- CVE Program. “CVE-2022-1040”. The official CVE record.
This article is built from CISA’s catalog (version 2026.10.30), NVD’s record and FIRST’s scores, kept in HARD’s database and checked every morning. The plain English is HARD’s.