dbcve.org
Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 1 Nov 2022. Known ransomware use
FortiproxyApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2022-40684

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-10-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.0.7 / 7.2.2 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild Ransomware High EPSS Public exploit Remotely reachable No privileges 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 authentication bypass using an alternate path or channel [CWE-288] in Fortinet FortiOS version 7.2.0 through 7.2.1 and 7.0.0 through 7.0.6, FortiProxy version 7.2.0 and version 7.0.0 through 7.0.6 and FortiSwitchManager version 7.2.0 and 7.0.0 allows an unauthenticated atttacker to perform operations on the administrative interface via specially crafted HTTP or HTTPS 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 confidence

FortiOS, FortiProxy, and FortiSwitchManager contain an authentication bypass vulnerability (CWE-288) allowing unauthenticated attackers to execute administrative operations via specially crafted HTTP/HTTPS requests. The flaw affects versions 7.2.0 through 7.2.1 and 7.0.0 through 7.0.6, enabling full administrative access without credentials.

MitigationUpgrade FortiOS to version 7.2.2 or 7.0.7 or later; upgrade FortiProxy to 7.2.1 or 7.0.7 or later; upgrade FortiSwitchManager to 7.2.1 or 7.0.7 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict administrative interface access to trusted IPs via firewall policies.

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:>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.7= 7.2.0
FortiswitchmanagerApplication
Affected:= 7.0.0= 7.2.0
FortiosOperating system
Affected:>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.7>= 7.2.0, < 7.2.2

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify FortiOS version
    Run the command 'get system status' in the FortiOS CLI or check the FortiGate web UI under Dashboard > Status. Look for the 'FortiOS' version field.
    Affected if The version is >= 7.0.0 and < 7.0.7, or >= 7.2.0 and < 7.2.2.
  2. Identify FortiProxy version
    Run the command 'get system status' in the FortiProxy CLI or check the web UI dashboard for the firmware version.
    Affected if The version is >= 7.0.0 and < 7.0.7, or equals 7.2.0.
  3. Identify FortiSwitchManager version
    Run the command 'get system status' in the FortiSwitchManager CLI or check the management interface for the firmware version.
    Affected if The version equals 7.0.0 or 7.2.0.
  4. Verify admin interface exposure
    Check firewall policies, interface settings, and management access configurations. In FortiOS CLI, run 'show system interface' and review 'set allowaccess' for http or https on interfaces facing untrusted networks.
    Affected if HTTP or HTTPS management access is enabled on interfaces accessible from untrusted or internet-facing IP addresses.

You are affected if any Fortinet product runs an affected version AND the admin web interface (HTTP/HTTPS) is accessible from untrusted networks.

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 7.0.7 / 7.2.2 or later
Fixed in 7.0.77.2.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade FortiOS to version 7.2.2 or 7.0.7 or later; upgrade FortiProxy to 7.2.1 or 7.0.7 or later; upgrade FortiSwitchManager to 7.2.1 or 7.0.7 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict administrative interface access to trusted IPs via firewall policies.

Recommended fix High confidence

FortiOS: 7.0.7 or 7.2.2+ | FortiProxy: 7.0.7 or 7.2.1+ | FortiSwitchManager: 7.0.1 or 7.2.1+

  1. Identify the Fortinet product (FortiOS, FortiProxy, or FortiSwitchManager) currently deployed
  2. Determine the current installed version using the web UI or CLI command 'get system status'
  3. For FortiOS: upgrade to version 7.0.7 or later, or 7.2.2 or later
  4. For FortiProxy: upgrade to version 7.0.7 or later, or 7.2.1 or later
  5. For FortiSwitchManager: upgrade to version 7.0.1 or later, or 7.2.1 or later
  6. Download the firmware from Fortinet's support portal (fortinet.com/support)
  7. Review Fortinet's release notes for upgrade considerations and any configuration changes
  8. Back up the current configuration before upgrading
Caveat Minor version upgrades within the same major release typically maintain configuration compatibility; always review release notes for behavioral changes or deprecated features before upgrading

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

Fix this in Fortiproxy Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
44.0 hours of engineering $7,720
Get it fixed fast

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $12,352.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-40684 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2022-40684 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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