Vulnerability · CVE-2022-42948
Fortra Cobalt Strike User Interface Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
Published Mar 24, 2023 · catalog updated Jun 16, 2026 · Fortra Cobalt Strike
Patch now
CVE-2022-42948 is in the CISA known-exploited catalog, due Apr 20, 2023. Confirm Fortra Cobalt Strike against the vendor advisory and apply that fix. The CVSS score does not change the priority.
- Severity
- Critical9.8
- Known exploitation
- CISA KEV and VulnCheck KEV
- EPSS
- 2.71%
- Remediation
- Remediation guidance
- Affected products
- cpe helpsystems/cobalt strike · vendor Fortra Cobalt Strike
Cobalt Strike 4.7.1 fails to properly escape HTML tags when they are displayed on Swing components. By injecting crafted HTML code, it is possible to remotely execute code in the Cobalt Strike UI.
Are you affected?
Enter the version you run. The result uses only the ranges stored on this record.
The check returns affected, not affected, or incomplete. It does not guess a version that is missing from the record.
- cpe helpsystems/cobalt strike4.7.1
- vendor Fortra Cobalt Strikeversion unspecified
How to fix CVE-2022-42948
Recommended remediation
Apply updates per vendor instructions. CISA due date Apr 20, 2023.
Official advisories
What to do
Three questions, each answered from this record only. Confirm the vendor advisory before you patch.
Should you patch?
CVE-2022-42948 is in the CISA known-exploited catalog, due Apr 20, 2023. Confirm Fortra Cobalt Strike against the vendor advisory and apply that fix. The CVSS score does not change the priority.
Which versions are affected?
Compare what you have installed with helpsystems/cobalt strike 4.7.1. Apply updates per vendor instructions.
What should an analyst verify?
CWE-116; CWE-79: Cross-site Scripting (XSS). EPSS 2.71%. The CISA KEV listing is the exploitation evidence. No Exploit-DB or Metasploit reference is linked. Use the source links for the original advisory.
Code
The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.
No public source repository is identified for this product.
Timeline
Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.
Mar 24, 2023 · Catalog
Detected
Cobalt Strike 4.7.1 fails to properly escape HTML tags when they are displayed on Swing components. By injecting crafted HTML code, it is possible to remotely execute code in the Cobalt Strike UI.
Mar 30, 2023 · CISA KEV
Known exploited
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Apr 20, 2023 · CISA KEV
Remediation due
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Jun 16, 2026 · Catalog
Updated
Cobalt Strike 4.7.1 fails to properly escape HTML tags when they are displayed on Swing components. By injecting crafted HTML code, it is possible to remotely execute code in the Cobalt Strike UI.
Sources
- CISA KEVConfirmed exploitationCVE-2022-42948
Fortra Cobalt Strike User Interface contains an unspecified vulnerability rooted in Java Swing that may allow remote code execution.
cisa.gov - CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2022-42948
Official CVE identifier
cve.org - FIRST EPSSExploitation probabilityCVE-2022-42948
30-day exploitation probability 2.7%
first.org - NIST NVDVulnerability recordCVE-2022-42948
Cobalt Strike 4.7.1 fails to properly escape HTML tags when they are displayed on Swing components. By injecting crafted HTML code, it is possible to remotely execute code in the Cobalt Strike UI.
nvd.nist.gov - VulnCheck KEVConfirmed exploitationCVE-2022-42948
Fortra Cobalt Strike User Interface contains an unspecified vulnerability rooted in Java Swing that may allow remote code execution.
vulncheck.com
References
Freshness
Last verified in this catalog Oct 17, 2026. Significant claims (KEV, EPSS, CVSS, affected ranges) come from the source rows above — open the original publisher for the authoritative advisory.