Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2016-7089

WatchGuard RapidStream appliances allow local users to gain privileges and execute arbitrary commands via a crafted ifconfig command, aka ESCALATEPLOWMAN.

Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.8, requiring local system access to exploit with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction requiring only low-level privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 1 product from watchguard organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

First disclosed in 2016, this vulnerability was reported during a period defined by widespread IoT adoption challenges, mobile security concerns, and the emergence of advanced persistent threat (APT) techniques. Contemporary mitigation strategies focused on secure development practices and third-party component vetting.

Published

2016-08-24T19:59:00.133

Last Modified

2025-04-12T10:46:40.837

Status

Deferred

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.0: 7.8 (HIGH)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Access Vector: LOCAL
Access Complexity: LOW
Authentication: NONE
Confidentiality Impact: COMPLETE
Integrity Impact: COMPLETE
Availability Impact: COMPLETE

Exploitability Score

3.9

Impact Score

10.0

Weaknesses

Type: Primary
CWE-264

Affected Vendors & Products

Type	Vendor	Product	Version/Range	Vulnerable?
Application	watchguard	rapidstream	-	Yes

References

http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/138393/ESCALATEPLOWMAN-WatchGuard-Privilege-Escalation.html Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry ([email protected])
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/92638 ([email protected])
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/40270/ Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry ([email protected])
https://www.secplicity.org/2016/08/16/nsa-equation-group-exploit-leak-mean/ Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/138393/ESCALATEPLOWMAN-WatchGuard-Privilege-Escalation.html Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/92638 (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/40270/ Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://www.secplicity.org/2016/08/16/nsa-equation-group-exploit-leak-mean/ Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For watchguard's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.