Evidence used
- No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
- EPSS is 0.29% for the current model date.
BlackTreeCVE IntelligenceFull vulnerability report · 2023
CVE-2022-3913High confidence
Rapid7 Nexpose Certificate Validation Issue
Rapid7 · Nexpose
5.3MediumCVSS 3.1
Scheduled
Patch availableMedium technical severity with no CISA KEV confirmation; remediate through the normal risk-based patch cycle unless local exposure raises the priority.
R
Open reassessment dashboard →Operational reassessment
Published severity in operational context
Published severityMedium→Operational priority:Medium, unchanged from published severity.unchanged
Compensating controls
- Validate the affected product branch and deploy the verified fixed release.
- Restrict local access and enforce least privilege on affected hosts.
- Monitor vendor guidance and exploitation sources for a material change.
Verification
- Confirm that the asset runs Rapid7 Nexpose and falls inside the recorded affected range.
- Verify the installed build against the product-specific fixed version after deployment.
- Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
- Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Medium technical severity with no CISA KEV confirmation; remediate through the normal risk-based patch cycle unless local exposure raises the priority.
Patch available01
What, why and how
Rapid7 Nexpose and InsightVM versions 6.6.82 through 6.6.177 fail to validate the certificate of the update server when downloading updates. This failure could allow an attacker in a privileged position on the network to provide their own HTTPS endpoint, or intercept communications to the legitimate endpoint. The attacker would need some pre-existing access to at least one node on the network path between the Rapid7-controlled update server and the Nexpose/InsightVM application, and the ability to either spoof the update server's FQDN or redirect legitimate traffic to the attacker's server in order to exploit this vulnerability. Note that even in this scenario, an attacker could not normally replace an update package with a malicious package, since the update process validates a separate, code-signing certificate, distinct from the HTTPS certificate used for communication. This issue was resolved on February 1, 2023 in update 6.6.178 of Nexpose and InsightVM.
What
Rapid7 Nexpose and InsightVM versions 6.6.82 through 6.6.177 fail to validate the certificate of the update server when downloading updates. This failure could allow an attacker in a privileged position on the network to provide their own HTTPS endpoint, or intercept communications to the legitimate endpoint. The attacker would need some pre-existing access to at least one node on the network path between the Rapid7-controlled update server and the Nexpose/InsightVM application, and the ability to either spoof the update server's FQDN or redirect legitimate traffic to the attacker's server in order to exploit this vulnerability. Note that even in this scenario, an attacker could not normally replace an update package with a malicious package, since the update process validates a separate, code-signing certificate, distinct from the HTTPS certificate used for communication. This issue was resolved on February 1, 2023 in update 6.6.178 of Nexpose and InsightVM.
Why
The product does not validate, or incorrectly validates, a certificate.
How
An attacker operating through an adjacent network may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.
What
Rapid7 Nexpose and InsightVM versions 6.6.82 through 6.6.177 fail to validate the certificate of the update server when downloading updates. This failure could allow an attacker in a privileged position on the network to provide their own HTTPS endpoint, or intercept communications to the legitimate endpoint. The attacker would need some pre-existing access to at least one node on the network path between the Rapid7-controlled update server and the Nexpose/InsightVM application, and the ability to either spoof the update server's FQDN or redirect legitimate traffic to the attacker's server in order to exploit this vulnerability. Note that even in this scenario, an attacker could not normally replace an update package with a malicious package, since the update process validates a separate, code-signing certificate, distinct from the HTTPS certificate used for communication. This issue was resolved on February 1, 2023 in update 6.6.178 of Nexpose and InsightVM.
Why
The product does not validate, or incorrectly validates, a certificate.
How
An attacker operating through an adjacent network may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.
02
Exploit reality and attack path
CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.
Observed exploitation No confirmed evidence
?
Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.
Public PoC / exploit material None recorded
?
Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.
- Likely attack path
- an adjacent network → Improper Certificate Validation → cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor
- Attack surface
- Adjacent
- Privileges required
- None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High: exploitation depends on specific conditions
- Security boundary
- Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
- Weakness
?
CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness. - CWE-295 ↗
CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation. The product does not validate, or incorrectly validates, a certificate.
- CVSS vector
?
CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity. CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:NCommon Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.
AVAdjacentAttack vector: The attacker must be on an adjacent or logically close network.ACHighAttack complexity: Successful exploitation depends on specific conditions outside the attacker's direct control.PRNonePrivileges required: The attacker does not need an account or existing privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.INoneIntegrity impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.ANoneAvailability impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.- Post-exploitation / living off the land
- No specific living-off-the-land technique is confirmed in the structured sources. Monitor normal administration tools for activity inconsistent with the affected service's baseline.
03
Patch and workaround
Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.
- Status
?
Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change. - Patch available
- Action
- Review the linked authoritative reference and apply the recorded fixed release appropriate to the affected product branch.
- Workaround
- No verified workaround is recorded. Limit untrusted access and use least privilege until authoritative guidance is available.
Official vendor articles1 stored document
Linked articles are downloaded and versioned as source evidence. A CVE mention or approved update relationship does not, by itself, verify a fix for every product branch.
- New | Nexpose Documentation →Original publisher ↗Searchable text snapshot · Captured 29 Sep 2026Insight Product Release Notes Vulnerability Management SIEM Application Security Automation Cloud Security Digital Risk Protection More Release Notes Metasploit AppSpider Pro AppSpider Enterprise Kommand Nexpose Rapid7 Agent Rapid7 Network Sensor InsightOps Feb 01, 2023 6.6.178 This release includes added
04
Evidence and provenance
Published 1 Feb 2023 · Last source change 26 Mar 2025, 15:05 UTC · CWE-295 · Improper Certificate Validation
CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
?
The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2022-43249
Product sourceCNA
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceCNA
NVD statusNVD modified after enrichment
Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.
Material change intelligence
View recent updates ↗What changed after publication
No material field changes have been recorded since change tracking began. Routine source refreshes and cosmetic edits are intentionally excluded.
CVE published
Fixed release or patch reference recorded
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
- CVE
- Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
- CVSS
- Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
- EPSS
- Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
- CWE
- Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
- CNA
- CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
- CISA ADP
- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
- NVD
- National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
- CERT / CSIRT
- A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
- PoC
- Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
- CSAF
- Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
- LoTL
- Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.