CVE-2016-9554Web Appliance Command Injection
The Sophos Web Appliance Remote / Secure Web Gateway server (version 4.2.1.3) is vulnerable to a Remote Command Injection vulnerability in its web administrative interface.
Published Jan 28, 2017 · Updated May 12, 2026
Key Facts
Patch immediately- CVE-2016-9554 is a high-severity vulnerability (CVSS 7.2 v3) affecting Web Appliance (Sophos).
- It is not listed in any known-exploited vulnerabilities catalog. Public exploit code is available.
- EPSS estimates a 25% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- No fixed version is listed yet; check the vendor advisory for mitigations.
- Brandefense priority: patch immediately, because public exploit code exists for a high-severity flaw.
Scores
CVSS v3
7.2
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS (30-day exploit likelihood)
25%
Higher than 97.9% of all scored CVEs
Exploit maturity
Proof of concept
ATLAS score
35/100
Publication score, see How it works
Exploitation Verdict
KEV listed
Not listed
Federal due date
None
No federal due date
Ransomware use
Not reported
Attributed actors
None named
Exploit & Defence Guidance
Exploit maturity
Proof of concept
Public exploit code
1
Proof-of-concept links
In-the-wild evidence
1
Reports of active use
Advisories And Exploit References
- advisory95858
Description
The Sophos Web Appliance Remote / Secure Web Gateway server (version 4.2.1.3) is vulnerable to a Remote Command Injection vulnerability in its web administrative interface. These vulnerabilities occur in MgrDiagnosticTools.php (/controllers/MgrDiagnosticTools.php), in the component responsible for performing diagnostic tests with the UNIX wget utility. The application doesn't properly escape the information passed in the 'url' variable before calling the executeCommand class function ($this->dtObj->executeCommand).
This function calls exec() with unsanitized user input allowing for remote command injection. The page that contains the vulnerabilities, /controllers/MgrDiagnosticTools.php, is accessed by a built-in command answered by the administrative interface.
The command that calls to that vulnerable page (passed in the 'section' parameter) is: 'configuration'. Exploitation of this vulnerability yields shell access to the remote machine under the 'spiderman' user account.
Affected Products
1 affected entries in total| Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Web ApplianceSophos | 4.2.1.3 | n/a |
Timeline
Publicly disclosed
Jan 28, 2017
Last updated
May 12, 2026
Weakness Type
- CWE-77 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')
References
- advisory95858
- exploitpastebin.com · UB8Ye6ZU
- exploitExploitDB-41414
- othercommunity.sophos.com · release-of-swa-version-4-3-1
FAQ
Common Questions.
The Sophos Web Appliance Remote / Secure Web Gateway server (version 4.2.1.3) is vulnerable to a Remote Command Injection vulnerability in its web administrative interface.
Affected: Web Appliance (Sophos) versions 4.2.1.3. The full list is in the CVE brief.
It is not listed in any known-exploited vulnerabilities catalog.
No, it is not currently listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
Public exploit code is available.
No fixed version is listed yet; check the vendor advisory for mitigations.
Brandefense priority: patch immediately, because public exploit code exists for a high-severity flaw.
Is CVE-2016-9554 On Your Attack Surface?
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