Threats / Fortra / CVE-2022-42948
CVE-2022-42948
· EUVD no mirror located
· GCVE no mirror located
Verified 2026-06-22
Fortra Cobalt Strike vulnerability
Fortra Cobalt Strike User Interface contains an unspecified vulnerability in Java Swing that may allow remote code execution through improper input handling.
Verdict
Today item — known-exploited.
A remote code execution vulnerability in Cobalt Strike's UI component enables attackers to execute arbitrary code, potentially compromising command and control infrastructure and downstream targets. Active exploitation in the wild increases operational risk.
01
Is it exploitable?
— the evidence, ranked above the scoreReported exploitation
1 independent public report of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2023-03-30).
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.02706 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
Affected: Fortra, Cobalt Strike. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.
Weakness (CWE)
Mapped to CWE-79 Cross-site Scripting (XSS), CWE-116 CWE-116 — weakness family: Web / client.CWE assignment from the public NVD record; the weakness class drives how the flaw is exploited.
02
Who’s exploiting it?
— attribution turns risk into urgencyAttribution not established
No confirmed (advisory-backed) threat-actor attribution is established for this record. Absence of a named actor is not absence of compromise — see Coverage & confidence.
03
Why it matters
— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board1
Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1
Attacker
I craft malicious input targeting the Java Swing UI component to trigger unspecified code execution pathways.
Business
Cobalt Strike infrastructure becomes compromised, exposing operational security and client targeting data.
2
Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2
Attacker
I gain execution context within the Cobalt Strike process to modify command logic or exfiltrate campaign data.
Business
Adversary operations are exposed or redirected, damaging client trust and operational effectiveness.
3
Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3
Attacker
I pivot from the compromised Cobalt Strike instance to connected systems and downstream targets.
Business
Secondary victims and clients face unauthorized access, data theft, and reputational harm from supply chain compromise.
04
What to do
— defensible action- Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
05