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CVE-2022-23131

From Exploited flaws, HARD’s guide to the flaws being used in attacks · Checked
This article is about a flaw in Zabbix Frontend. For every flaw being used in attacks, see Exploited flaws.

CVE-2022-23131 is a security flaw in Zabbix Frontend. Attackers can use Zabbix Frontend to take full control of the machine from anywhere, without logging in. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 22 Feb 2022.[1]

Zabbix Frontend 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. Zabbix has published a fix or advice.

Description

CISA calls it an authentication bypass in Zabbix Frontend. In its words: “Unsafe client-side session storage leading to authentication bypass/instance takeover via Zabbix Frontend with configured SAML.”[1]

The CVE record adds: “In the case of instances where the SAML SSO authentication is enabled (non-default), session data can be modified by a malicious actor, because a user login stored in the session was not verified. Malicious unauthenticated actor may exploit this issue to escalate privileges and gain admin access to Zabbix Frontend. To perform the attack, SAML authentication is required to be enabled and the actor has to know the username of Zabbix user (or use the guest account, which is disabled by default).”[2]

The underlying weakness is authentication bypass by spoofing (CWE-290), in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.

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; Zabbix’s advisory has them[3]. CISA names the product as Zabbix Frontend.

Most families won’t have Zabbix Frontend; it’s for whoever looks after IT at work.

Exploitation

CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 22 Feb 2022, 40 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 8 Mar 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 96%. 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

Zabbix has published a fix or advice.[3] CISA’s required action: “Apply updates per vendor instructions.”[1]

  1. Check whether you use it.Zabbix Frontend 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.
  2. Send this page to your IT person.Ask them to confirm it’s fixed, or not in use. CISA gave US government agencies until 8 Mar 2022 to fix it.
  3. 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

DateEvent
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 96%.[4]

See also

Other Zabbix Frontend flaws

Other authentication bypass by spoofing flaws

  • CVE-2026-102764, BeyondTrust Remote Support: authentication bypass by spoofing ·
  • CVE-2026-104935, Ivanti Connect Secure: authentication bypass by spoofing ·
  • CVE-2023-50224, TP-Link TL-WR841N: authentication bypass by spoofing ·
  • CVE-2024-54085, AMI MegaRAC SPx: authentication bypass by spoofing ·
  • CVE-2024-4358, Progress Telerik Report Server: authentication bypass by spoofing ·

Added the same day

  • CVE-2022-23134, Zabbix Frontend: improper access control ·

References

  1. ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “Zabbix Frontend Authentication Bypass Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 22 Feb 2022.
  2. ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2022-23131 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 13 Jan 2022.
  3. ^ Zabbix. Advisories and fixes: support.zabbix.com.
  4. ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.957, percentile 99.9, 31 Oct 2026.
  5. CVE Program. “CVE-2022-23131”. 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.