FortinacApplication · Fortinet
CVE-2022-39953
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 · uneditedA improper privilege management in Fortinet FortiNAC version 9.4.0 through 9.4.1, FortiNAC version 9.2.0 through 9.2.6, FortiNAC version 9.1.0 through 9.1.8, FortiNAC all versions 8.8, FortiNAC all versions 8.7, FortiNAC all versions 8.6, FortiNAC all versions 8.5, FortiNAC version 8.3.7 allows attacker to escalation of privilege via specially crafted 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 confidenceThis is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in FortiNAC caused by improper privilege management. Attackers can use specially crafted commands to elevate their privileges beyond what their account should normally permit, potentially gaining administrative access to the network access control system.
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
>= 8.5.0, <= 8.5.4>= 8.6.0, <= 8.6.5>= 8.7.0, <= 8.7.6>= 8.8.0, <= 8.8.11>= 9.1.0, <= 9.1.8>= 9.2.0, <= 9.2.6= 8.3.7= 9.4.0= 9.4.1CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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.
-
Identify FortiNAC versionLog into the FortiNAC CLI or SSH and run the command: fnsysctl cat /etc/version or check the web UI under Dashboard > Status to find the firmware versionAffected if The installed version matches any of the affected ranges: 8.5.0-8.5.4, 8.6.0-8.6.5, 8.7.0-8.7.6, 8.8.0-8.8.11, 9.1.0-9.1.8, 9.2.0-9.2.6, 8.3.7, 9.4.0, or 9.4.1
-
Review administrative user accountsAccess FortiNAC web UI, navigate to User Management or Administrators section, and enumerate all accounts with administrative privilegesAffected if Unexpected or unauthorized accounts exist with administrator-level access that were not created by known trusted personnel
-
Examine audit logs for privilege escalation eventsIn FortiNAC CLI, run: fnsysctl grep -i 'privilege' /var/log/audit.log or check the web UI Logs > System Events for commands related to role changes or permission modificationsAffected if Logs show unauthorized role modifications, privilege escalation commands, or unexpected administrative actions performed by low-privilege accounts
-
Check for suspicious command executionReview system logs for unusual commands executed, especially those involving useradd, usermod, or configuration changes, using: fnsysctl grep -E '(sudo|su |admin)' /var/log/messagesAffected if Logs contain commands or actions that were not initiated by legitimate administrators
The environment is affected if the installed FortiNAC version falls within the affected ranges AND there is evidence of unauthorized privilege escalation or unexpected administrative accounts present in the system.
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 · scopedApply the available FortiNAC security patches from Fortinet's official advisory. If patches are unavailable, restrict administrative access to trusted personnel only and monitor for unauthorized command execution.
Upgrade to FortiNAC 9.4.2+/9.2.7+/9.1.9+/8.8.12+/8.7.7+/8.6.6+/8.5.5+ or later respective to each branch
- 1. Identify the current FortiNAC version by checking System > Firmware or using the CLI command 'get system status'
- 2. Based on the installed version, upgrade to the corresponding fixed release: For 9.4.x, upgrade to 9.4.2 or later; For 9.2.x, upgrade to 9.2.7 or later; For 9.1.x, upgrade to 9.1.9 or later; For 8.8.x, upgrade to 8.8.12 or later; For 8.7.x, upgrade to 8.7.7 or later; For 8.6.x, upgrade to 8.6.6 or later; For 8.5.x, upgrade to 8.5.5 or later; For 8.3.7, upgrade to a version beyond 8.3.7 that incl
- 3. Download the appropriate firmware from Fortinet's support portal (fortinet.com/support) or FortiGuard
- 4. Back up the current FortiNAC configuration before upgrading
- 5. Upload and install the new firmware via the FortiNAC web UI (System > Firmware > Upload) or CLI
- 6. After upgrade, verify the system is operational and test that the privilege escalation vulnerability is no longer exploitable
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Fortinac
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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 $3,648.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-39953 — 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-2022-39953 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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