FortinacApplication · Fortinet
CVE-2022-38375
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedAn improper authorization vulnerability [CWE-285] in Fortinet FortiNAC version 9.4.0 through 9.4.1 and before 9.2.6 allows an unauthenticated user to perform some administrative operations over the FortiNAC instance via crafted HTTP POST requests.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceFortiNAC versions 9.4.0-9.4.1 and before 9.2.6 contain an improper authorization vulnerability (CWE-285) that allows unauthenticated attackers to execute administrative operations by sending crafted HTTP POST requests, effectively bypassing authentication entirely.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
FortinacApplication
>= 9.2.0, < 9.2.7>= 9.4.0, < 9.4.2
Fortinac FApplication
< 7.2.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify FortiNAC versionLog into the FortiNAC admin interface and navigate to the Dashboard or System > Settings > About page to view the installed firmware version. Alternatively, use the CLI command 'get system status' to retrieve version information.Affected if The installed version is 9.2.0 through 9.2.6, 9.4.0 through 9.4.1, or FortiNAC F version below 7.2.0
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Confirm management interface exposureReview network firewall rules and access profiles to determine whether the FortiNAC web management interface (ports 443, 8443, or HTTP port 80) is accessible from untrusted external networks or the public internet.Affected if The management interface is exposed to networks outside the trusted internal environment
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Review admin audit logs for unauthorized operationsExamine FortiNAC admin logs under Log & Report > Event Logs > Admin Events for any administrative actions (such as user creation, network policy changes, or system configuration modifications) performed by unknown or unrecognized admin accounts, especially in rapid succession or at unusual times.Affected if Administrative operations exist that were performed without corresponding legitimate admin authentication events
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Check for unexpected admin accountsNavigate to User & Authentication > Administrators in the FortiNAC interface and compare the list of administrative accounts against documented, authorized administrator accounts. Look for unfamiliar accounts, especially those with full administrative privileges.Affected if Unexpected or unrecognized administrator accounts are present in the system
A user is affected if their FortiNAC version falls within 9.2.0-9.2.6, 9.4.0-9.4.1, or FortiNAC F below 7.2.0 AND the management interface is accessible from untrusted networks, or if unauthorized administrative changes are found in logs.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped7.2.09.2.79.4.2
Upgrade FortiNAC to version 9.2.6, 9.4.2, or later to remediate the authorization bypass. Until patched, restrict external access to the FortiNAC management interface using network segmentation or firewall rules.
FortiNAC 9.2.7+ (for 9.2.x branch), FortiNAC 9.4.2+ (for 9.4.x branch), FortiNAC F 7.2.0+ (for FortiNAC F)
- Identify the currently installed FortiNAC version by checking the system information in the FortiNAC admin GUI or via CLI command: 'get system status'
- For FortiNAC version 9.2.0-9.2.x: Plan upgrade to version 9.2.7 or later
- For FortiNAC version 9.4.0-9.4.1: Plan upgrade to version 9.4.2 or later
- For FortiNAC F version below 7.2.0: Plan upgrade to version 7.2.0 or later
- Download the appropriate firmware from Fortinet customer support portal (https://support.fortinet.com)
- Review Fortinet upgrade documentation and release notes for backup and migration requirements
- Execute upgrade during a scheduled maintenance window following Fortinet's documented upgrade procedure
- After upgrade, verify the system is operational and the version has been updated successfully
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Fortinac
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,680.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-38375 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-38375 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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