MEDIUM CVSS 5.3
Published: 2017-04-22

CVE-2017-8056

watchguard fireware Security Advisory (CVE-2017-8056)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2017-8056 impacting watchguard fireware. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 5.3 (MEDIUM).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
WatchGuard Fireware v11.12.1 and earlier mishandles requests referring to an XML External Entity (XXE), in the XML-RPC agent. This causes the Firebox wgagent process to crash. This process crash ends all authenticated sessions to the Firebox, including management connections, and prevents new authenticated sessions until the process has recovered. The Firebox may also experience an overall degradation in performance while the wgagent process recovers. An attacker could continuously send XML-RPC requests that contain references to external entities to perform a limited Denial of Service (DoS) attack against an affected Firebox.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network (AV:N)
Exploitable remotely across internet boundaries
Attack Complexity
Low (AC:L)
No specialized conditions required
Privileges Required
None (PR:N)
Unauthenticated execution
User Interaction
None (UI:N)
Zero human interaction required
Scope
Unchanged (S:U)
Confined to same security context
Confidentiality
None (C:N)
No data confidentiality impact
Integrity
None (I:N)
No system modification impact
Availability
Low (A:L)
Partial service performance degradation

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product watchguard / fireware
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration CWE-611

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2017-8056 impacting watchguard fireware.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2017-8056.yaml
id: cve-2017-8056

info:
  name: watchguard fireware - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: medium
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2017-8056 affecting watchguard fireware.
    Evaluation: WatchGuard Fireware v11.12.1 and earlier mishandles requests referring to an XML External Entity (XXE), in the XML-RPC agent. This causes the Firebox ...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2017-8056
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
    cvss-score: 5.3
    cve-id: CVE-2017-8056
    cwe-id: CWE-611
  tags: cve,cve-2017-8056,watchguard,fireware,medium

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "fireware"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2017-8056.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2017-8056
# Target: watchguard fireware | CVSS: 5.3 (MEDIUM)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2017-8056 (watchguard fireware)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against watchguard fireware scope (*).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
🛡️ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2017-8056.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2017-8056
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install fireware 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade fireware 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update fireware

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i fireware 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i fireware

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

🛡️ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2017-8056 in watchguard fireware?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update watchguard fireware packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2017-8056?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2017-8056?

CVE-2017-8056 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 5.3 (MEDIUM). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
5.3
MEDIUM SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2017-8056
Weakness CWE-611
Vendor watchguard
Product fireware
Published 2017-04-22
Vector CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L