Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
MobaXterm versions before v22.1 can send a hardcoded password to an SFTP server when a user aborts a connection. The server may record this as a failed login, which can lock out the user or trigger denial-of-service effects when tools such as fail2ban are active.
Executive priority
Treat this as a focused endpoint-client remediation issue, not a broad server compromise claim. The business risk is disruption to SFTP access and possible exposure from a hardcoded credential behavior in legacy clients.
Technical view
The reported issue is CWE-798: hardcoded credentials. During SFTP abort handling, affected MobaXterm clients send a fixed password to the server. Source metadata assigns CVSS 3.1 score 9.1 with network attack vector, no privileges, no user interaction, high confidentiality impact, and high availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to environments where users run MobaXterm before v22.1 for SFTP, especially against servers enforcing failed-login lockouts or automated blocking. The source bundle does not provide CPEs, platform details, or enterprise prevalence data.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not show CISA KEV inclusion or cite active exploitation. The described impact can occur from the client behavior during aborted SFTP sessions, with downstream lockout or blocking effects on the server side.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports affected MobaXterm before v22.1 and a hardcoded password sent during SFTP abort handling. The source bundle lacks detailed vulnerable build ranges, proof of exploitation, CPE mappings, and vendor advisory text beyond the referenced download page.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory MobaXterm installations and identify versions before v22.1.
- Prioritize upgrading affected clients to v22.1 or later.
- Check current Mobatek guidance before standardizing remediation steps.
- Review fail2ban and lockout policies for affected SFTP services.
- Warn users to report unexpected SFTP lockouts during remediation.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed MobaXterm versions on managed endpoints.
- Review SFTP authentication logs for invalid attempts linked to aborted sessions.
- Check fail2ban or equivalent logs for user or IP blocks.
- Verify upgraded clients no longer match the affected version range.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-798: Credential and account abuse lookup
Authentication and credential weaknesses can make valid-account abuse and credential telemetry useful review starting points. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCredential and access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references authentication or credential exposure, so valid-account and credential-access review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2022-38337 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Critical
- CVSS
- 9.1 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H3.95.2Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
9.1CriticalVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://docs.ssh-mitm.at/vulnerabilities/CVE-2022-38337.htmlCVE reference
- https://mobaxterm.mobatek.net/download-home-edition.htmlCVE reference
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Use of Hard-coded Credentials
Use of Hard-coded Credentials represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.