Linux - Security - Mitigate CVE-2022-47966

What the CVE-2022-47966 mitigation Worklet does

This Automox Worklet™ creates firewall rules to protect against CVE-2022-47966, a critical unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability affecting multiple ManageEngine products. The vulnerability allows attackers to take complete control of affected systems without authentication.

The Worklet blocks 15 known malicious IP addresses identified in the CISA advisory (AA23-250A) and drops all inbound connections to ports 80 and 443. It automatically detects whether the endpoint uses iptables or firewalld and creates rules in a dedicated chain/zone named AX_CVE-2022-47966.

Why apply CVE-2022-47966 firewall rules

Unpatched ManageEngine servers face active exploitation by APT groups using CVE-2022-47966 to gain initial access. When attackers exploit this vulnerability, they achieve unauthenticated remote code execution with the privileges of the ManageEngine service account, typically running with elevated permissions. CISA documented attacks where threat actors combined this vulnerability with CVE-2022-42475 to deploy web shells, establish persistence, move laterally through networks, and exfiltrate sensitive data from critical infrastructure organizations.

When immediate patching is not feasible, network-level controls provide temporary protection. Blocking known attacker IPs prevents connections from documented threat infrastructure. Dropping port 80/443 traffic stops the attack vector for web-based exploitation.

This Worklet is intended for manual execution only, not scheduled policies. Blocking ports 80 and 443 stops legitimate web traffic, so you should only apply it to vulnerable ManageEngine servers, not general-purpose web servers.

How CVE-2022-47966 firewall protection works

1. Evaluation phase: Returns compliant (exit 0) because this is a manual run-once action. Do not schedule this Worklet; run it through FixNow or the endpoint page.

2. Remediation phase: Detects firewall type (iptables or firewalld), creates a dedicated chain/zone, adds rules to drop inbound TCP 80/443, and blocks 15 IP addresses from the CISA advisory. For firewalld, reloads configuration. Set revert=true to remove the rules.

CVE-2022-47966 mitigation requirements

• Linux endpoints running vulnerable ManageEngine products

• iptables or firewalld installed and running

• Root privileges for the Automox agent

• Run manually via FixNow or endpoint page; do not schedule

• Understand that ports 80/443 will be blocked for all inbound connections

Expected firewall state after mitigation

After remediation, a new firewall chain/zone named AX_CVE-2022-47966 contains rules blocking ports 80/443 and the 15 known malicious IPs. Web traffic to the endpoint is blocked.

Verification: For iptables, run iptables -L AX_CVE-2022-47966 to list rules. For firewalld, use firewall-cmd --info-zone=AX_CVE-2022-47966 to view zone configuration. Test port blocking with nc -zv localhost 80 which should fail. To revert, set revert=true in the user variables section and run the Worklet again. Apply permanent fixes (vendor patches) before reverting these temporary controls.

How to validate mitigate cve-2022-47966 changes

1. Run this Worklet on a pilot Linux endpoint and review evaluation output for mitigate cve-2022-47966.

2. Confirm Automox activity logs show successful completion and exit code 0.

3. Verify endpoint state using checks aligned to evaluation script logic, such as exit.

4. Validate remediation effects from script operations such as declare, 192.142.226.153, 144.202.2.71, then rerun evaluation for compliance.

For technical validation, compare endpoint state to the Worklet evaluation logic and remediation flow for mitigate cve-2022-47966. This supports repeatable security workflows, faster change control review, and auditable compliance evidence.

Useful script references for this Worklet include evaluation operations such as exit and remediation operations such as declare, 192.142.226.153, 144.202.2.71. Use these indicators to verify that endpoint changes match intended policy outcomes.