Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This vulnerability affects Netgate pfSense systems using Automatic Configuration Backup. A logged-in attacker could abuse a stored XSS issue to run JavaScript in an administrator’s browser, potentially exposing sensitive data or deleting backups. The CVSS score is medium, but impact matters because pfSense often protects critical network boundaries.
Executive priority
Treat as a prioritized network-edge maintenance item, not an emergency based on current evidence. Patch promptly where ACB is used or admin access is broadly reachable.
Technical view
CVE-2024-57273 is a CWE-79 XSS flaw in pfSense ACB tied to an unsanitized reason field. The description also notes a derivable device key from the public SSH key. The CVSS vector requires low privileges and user interaction, with changed scope and limited confidentiality and integrity impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most relevant where pfSense CE before the 2.8.0 beta release or corresponding Plus builds use ACB and have users with access to the affected workflow.
Exploitation context
The CVE is not listed as KEV in the provided bundle. A public technical blog is cited, so defenders should assume technical details are public, but active exploitation is not established by the supplied evidence.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports XSS in ACB and a key-derivation concern, but the bundle lacks full vendor advisory text and precise affected CPE data. Avoid expanding scope beyond pfSense CE and corresponding Plus builds identified by the sources.
Mitigation direction
- Review Netgate advisory pfSense-SA-25_03.webgui for affected and fixed builds.
- Update pfSense CE or Plus according to Netgate’s published security guidance.
- Restrict administrative access to trusted networks and users.
- Review ACB usage and remove unnecessary backup access permissions.
Validation and detection
- Inventory pfSense CE and Plus versions across managed environments.
- Check whether ACB is enabled and who can access it.
- Review administrative logs for suspicious backup deletion or unusual ACB activity.
- Confirm upgraded systems match Netgate’s fixed-release guidance.
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-79: User-session and phishing behavior lookup
Client-side and session-facing weaknesses should be reviewed alongside initial-access and user-execution behaviors. 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 lookupCVE-2024-57273 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
- Medium
- CVSS
- 5.4 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
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.
SSVC decision data
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:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N2.32.7CISA-ADPVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.4MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://blog.brillantit.com/exploiting-pfsense-xss-command-injection-cloud-hijack/CVE reference, mitre
- https://www.netgate.com/blog/important-security-updates-for-pfsense-plus-24.11-and-ce-2.7.2CVE reference, mitre
- https://docs.netgate.com/downloads/pfSense-SA-25_03.webgui.ascCVE reference, mitre
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.
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.