CVE-2022-39197
CVE-2022-39197 is a security flaw in Fortra Cobalt Strike. Attackers can run their own code on Fortra Cobalt Strike. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 30 Mar 2023.[1]
Fortra Cobalt Strike 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. Fortra has published a fix or advice.
Description
CISA calls it a teamserver cross-site scripting (XSS) in Fortra Cobalt Strike. In its words: “Fortra Cobalt Strike contains a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Teamserver that would allow an attacker to set a malformed username in the Beacon configuration, allowing them to execute code remotely.”[1]
The CVE record adds: “An XSS (Cross Site Scripting) vulnerability was found in HelpSystems Cobalt Strike through 4.7 that allowed a remote attacker to execute HTML on the Cobalt Strike teamserver. To exploit the vulnerability, one must first inspect a Cobalt Strike payload, and then modify the username field in the payload (or create a new payload with the extracted information and then modify that username field to be malformed).”[2]
The underlying weakness is improper input validation (CWE-20), cross-site scripting (CWE-79), in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.
It scores 6.1 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it medium, scored by NVD using CVSS 3.1.[2]
Affected versions
NVD’s record doesn’t list version ranges for it; Fortra’s advisory has them[3]. CISA names the product as Fortra Cobalt Strike.
Most families won’t have Fortra Cobalt Strike; it’s for whoever looks after IT at work.
Exploitation
CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 30 Mar 2023, 189 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 20 Apr 2023 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 44%. That’s in the top 2% of the flaws it scores.[4]
CISA assesses it as not automatable: each attack takes some work.
CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.
Fix
Fortra has published a fix or advice.[3] CISA’s required action: “Apply updates per vendor instructions.”[1]
- Check whether you use it.Fortra Cobalt Strike 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 20 Apr 2023 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 6.1.[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 44%.[4] |
See also
Other Fortra Cobalt Strike flaws
- CVE-2022-42948: user interface remote code execution ·
Other Fortra flaws
- CVE-2025-10035, Fortra GoAnywhere MFT: deserialization of untrusted data ·
- CVE-2023-0669, Fortra GoAnywhere MFT: remote code execution ·
Other improper input validation flaws
- CVE-2026-93952, Arista VeloCloud Orchestrator: improper input validation ·
- CVE-2019-1068, Microsoft SQL Server: remote code execution ·
- CVE-2026-12569, PTC Windchill and FlexPLM: improper input validation ·
- CVE-2026-34910, Ubiquiti UniFi OS: improper input validation ·
- CVE-2026-6973, Ivanti Endpoint Manager Mobile (EPMM): improper input validation ·
Added the same day
- CVE-2023-0266, Linux Kernel: use-after-free ·
- CVE-2022-42948, Fortra Cobalt Strike: user interface remote code execution ·
- CVE-2022-38181, Arm Mali Graphics Processing Unit (GPU): mali GPU kernel driver use-after-free ·
- CVE-2022-3038, Chrome and other Chromium browsers: use-after-free ·
- CVE-2022-22706, Arm Mali Graphics Processing Unit (GPU): mali GPU kernel driver unspecified ·
Every Fortra flaw on CISA’s list · Everything added in March 2023
References
- ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “Fortra Cobalt Strike Teamserver Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 30 Mar 2023.
- ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2022-39197 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 22 Sep 2022.
- ^ Fortra. Advisories and fixes: cobaltstrike.com, cobaltstrike.com.
- ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.441, percentile 98.8, 31 Oct 2026.
- CVE Program. “CVE-2022-39197”. 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.