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FortiproxyApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2022-38378

MEDIUM · 6.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-02-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.0.8 / 7.2.1 or later.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

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 · unedited
An improper privilege management vulnerability [CWE-269] in Fortinet FortiOS version 7.2.0 and before 7.0.7 and FortiProxy version 7.2.0 through 7.2.1 and before 7.0.7 allows an attacker that has access to the admin profile section (System subsection Administrator Users) to modify their own profile and upgrade their privileges to Read Write via CLI or GUI commands.

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 confidence

In FortiOS and FortiProxy, an attacker with access to the admin profile section (System > Administrator Users) can modify their own profile to escalate privileges to Read Write level. This improper privilege management allows a limited admin user to gain full administrative control via CLI or GUI commands.

MitigationUpgrade FortiOS to version 7.0.7, 7.2.2 or later; upgrade FortiProxy to 7.0.7 or later. Apply least-privilege principles to admin accounts and restrict access to the Administrator Users section.

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
FortiproxyApplication
Affected:>= 1.1.0, <= 2.0.9>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.8>= 7.2.0, < 7.2.2
FortiosOperating system
Affected:>= 6.0.0, < 7.0.8>= 7.2.0, < 7.2.1

CVSS 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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check FortiOS version
    Run the command: get system status | grep Version (via CLI) or go to Dashboard > Status in GUI
    Affected if The version falls within 6.0.0 to 7.0.7, 7.2.0 to 7.2.0 (FortiOS); or the version falls within 1.1.0 to 2.0.9, 7.0.0 to 7.0.7, 7.2.0 to 7.2.1 (FortiProxy)
  2. Identify admin users with access to Administrator Users section
    Run: show system admin (CLI) or navigate to System > Administrator Users in GUI to list accounts
    Affected if Any limited admin account has access to modify admin profiles in System > Administrator Users
  3. Review admin profile privileges
    Run: get system admin (CLI) or inspect each admin user profile in GUI under System > Administrator Users to check the Access Profile or Admin Profile setting
    Affected if A non-super_admin account has been granted Read Write privileges or a profile with elevated permissions beyond what was intended
  4. Audit recent admin profile modifications
    Run: execute log filter category event and execute log display (CLI) to review logs for changes to admin profile settings
    Affected if Logs show modifications to admin profiles that were not initiated by the super_admin

You are affected if your FortiOS version is 6.0.0 to <7.0.8 or 7.2.0 to <7.2.1, or FortiProxy version is 1.1.0 to 2.0.9, 7.0.0 to <7.0.8, or 7.2.0 to <7.2.2, AND any limited admin user has access to modify admin profiles in the System > Administrator Users section.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 7.0.8 / 7.2.1 / 7.2.2 or later
Fixed in 7.0.87.2.17.2.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade FortiOS to version 7.0.7, 7.2.2 or later; upgrade FortiProxy to 7.0.7 or later. Apply least-privilege principles to admin accounts and restrict access to the Administrator Users section.

Recommended fix High confidence

FortiOS: 7.0.8+ or 7.2.1+ | FortiProxy: 7.0.8+ or 7.2.2+

  1. 1. Identify the current FortiOS or FortiProxy version running on your device using the CLI command: get system status
  2. 2. For FortiOS devices: Upgrade to version 7.0.8 or later, or version 7.2.1 or later
  3. 3. For FortiProxy devices: Upgrade to version 7.0.8 or later, or version 7.2.2 or later
  4. 4. Download the firmware from the Fortinet Customer Support portal (https://support.fortinet.com)
  5. 5. Upload and install the firmware via the FortiOS/FortiProxy GUI under System > Firmware, or via CLI using the execute firmware command
  6. 6. After upgrade, verify the installation and confirm the version using: get system status
  7. 7. Review administrator accounts in System > Administrator Users to ensure only authorized users have Read-Write access
  8. 8. Consider implementing the principle of least privilege for admin profiles
Caveat Review release notes for potential configuration changes and test upgrade in non-production environment before deploying to production

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Fortiproxy Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,800
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,880.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-38378 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data