Sophos Firewall Code Injection Flaw: Let Attackers Execute Remote Code

A critical security flaw has been discovered in the Sophos Firewall User Portal and Webadmin, allowing hackers to execute malicious code remotely.

The vulnerability enables attackers to inject harmful code into the software, which if exploited, can result in a complete takeover of the system and data theft.

The Sophos updated their firewalls to a new version in order to detect new exploit attempts against the older version. This RCE vulnerability has a score of Critical (9.8).

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Sophos said that “vulnerable devices are running end-of-life (EOL) firmware. We immediately developed a patch for certain EOL firmware versions, which was automatically applied to the 99% of affected organizations that have “accept hotfix” turned on”.

Sophos Firewall v19.0 MR1 (19.0.1) and older, which was released in 2022, has become outdated. As a result, the firmware on every vulnerable device has reached its end-of-life (EOL).

This means that these devices will no longer receive updates or support, leaving them open to potential security risks and vulnerabilities.

It is important to note that attackers have been on the lookout for firmware and end-of-life (EOL) devices from various technology vendors.

This particular vulnerability has been exploited with the purpose of targeting a specific group of companies, mostly located in South Asia, as reported by Sophos.

Web admin Portals

It is crucial for organizations to take steps to ensure the security of their User Portal and Web admin, by preventing their exposure to the Wide Area Network (WAN).

For remote access and management, it is advisable to utilize either VPN or Sophos Central (which is the recommended choice). To adhere to device access best practices, it is recommended by Sophos to disable WAN access to the User Portal and Webadmin.

The hotfix installation is automatically enabled by default. Follow these steps to confirm this setting:

• Go to Backup & firmware > Firmware > Hotfix.
• Turn on Allow automatic installation of hotfixes.
• Click Apply.

If hotfixes are enabled, but you are not getting them, check the connectivity requirements for the Up2Date component on Sophos Firewall: Default services.

It is crucial for organizations to stay vigilant and take necessary measures to protect their systems and data from potential attacks.