FortiosOperating system · Fortinet

CVE-2022-42475

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-01-02

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.0.12 / 6.0.15 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

NVD · unedited

A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability [CWE-122] in FortiOS SSL-VPN 7.2.0 through 7.2.2, 7.0.0 through 7.0.8, 6.4.0 through 6.4.10, 6.2.0 through 6.2.11, 6.0.15 and earlier and FortiProxy SSL-VPN 7.2.0 through 7.2.1, 7.0.7 and earlier may allow a remote unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code or commands via specifically crafted requests.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in FortiOS and FortiProxy SSL-VPN allows remote unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code via specially crafted requests. The vulnerability affects multiple version branches of both products.

MitigationUpgrade FortiOS to version 7.2.3 or later (7.0.9 or later, 6.4.11 or later, 6.2.12 or later, 6.0.16 or later) and FortiProxy to version 7.2.2 or later (7.0.8 or later). If immediate patching is not possible, disable SSL-VPN or restrict access to trusted IPs.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

FortiosOperating system

Affected:>= 5.0.0, <= 5.0.14>= 5.2.0, <= 5.2.15>= 5.4.0, <= 5.4.13>= 5.6.0, <= 5.6.14>= 6.0.0, < 6.0.16>= 6.2.0, < 6.2.12>= 6.4.0, < 6.4.11>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.9>= 7.2.0, < 7.2.3>= 6.0.0, < 6.0.15>= 6.4.0, < 6.4.10>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.8

FortiproxyApplication

Affected:>= 1.0.0, <= 1.0.7>= 1.1.0, <= 1.1.6>= 1.2.0, <= 1.2.13>= 2.0.0, < 2.0.12>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.8>= 7.2.0, < 7.2.2

CVSS breakdown

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?

dbcve checks

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

Identify product and version

Run `get system status` in the FortiOS/FortiProxy CLI to display the firmware version and product name

Affected if The displayed version falls within any of the vulnerable ranges: FortiOS 5.0.0-5.0.14, 5.2.0-5.2.15, 5.4.0-5.4.13, 5.6.0-5.6.14, 6.0.0-6.0.15, 6.2.0-6.2.11, 6.4.0-6.4.10, 7.0.0-7.0.8, 7.2.0-7.2.2; or FortiProxy 1.0.0-1.0.7, 1.1.0-1.1.6, 1.2.0-1.2.13, 2.0.0-2.0.11, 7.0.0-7.0.7, 7.2.0-7.2.1
Confirm SSL-VPN is enabled

Run `show vpn ssl settings` in the CLI to view the SSL-VPN configuration

Affected if The output shows SSL-VPN is active (status: enable) with a configured listen interface or port, indicating the vulnerable component is exposed
Check SSL-VPN portal configuration

Run `show vpn ssl web portal` and `get vpn ssl web portal` to list configured SSL-VPN web portals

Affected if Any SSL-VPN web portal is defined and SSL-VPN is reachable from the network, meaning the HTTP/HTTPS request handler that contains the overflow is accessible to remote attackers
Verify SSL-VPN is accessible from untrusted networks

Review firewall policy objects using `get firewall policy` or `show firewall policy` and check the destination interface of policies allowing SSL-VPN traffic

Affected if SSL-VPN traffic from the internet or untrusted zones is permitted (policy allows traffic to SSL-VPN interface from any source or from wan/wan1), indicating unauthenticated remote attackers can reach the vulnerable component

The system is affected if it runs a vulnerable FortiOS or FortiProxy version AND has SSL-VPN enabled and accessible, allowing remote unauthenticated attackers to send specially crafted HTTP/HTTPS requests to the SSL-VPN portal.

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

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to 2.0.12 / 6.0.15 / 6.0.16 or later

Fixed in 2.0.126.0.156.0.16

Interim mitigation

Upgrade FortiOS to version 7.2.3 or later (7.0.9 or later, 6.4.11 or later, 6.2.12 or later, 6.0.16 or later) and FortiProxy to version 7.2.2 or later (7.0.8 or later). If immediate patching is not possible, disable SSL-VPN or restrict access to trusted IPs.

Recommended fix High confidence

FortiOS: 7.2.3+, 7.0.9+, 6.4.11+, 6.2.12+, 6.0.16+ | FortiProxy: 7.2.2+, 7.0.8+

1. Identify the currently installed FortiOS or FortiProxy version and model from the device management interface or CLI using 'get system status'
2. For FortiOS devices: If running 7.2.0-7.2.2, upgrade to 7.2.3 or later. If running 7.0.0-7.0.8, upgrade to 7.0.9 or later. If running 6.4.0-6.4.10, upgrade to 6.4.11 or later. If running 6.2.0-6.2.11, upgrade to 6.2.12 or later. If running 6.0.x or earlier, upgrade to 6.0.16 or later
3. For FortiProxy devices: If running 7.2.0-7.2.1, upgrade to 7.2.2 or later. If running 7.0.x or earlier, upgrade to 7.0.8 or later
4. Download the appropriate firmware image from the Fortinet Customer Support Portal (https://customer.fortinet.com/)
5. Back up the current device configuration
6. Upload and install the new firmware via the FortiOS/FortiProxy web UI or CLI using 'execute firmware upgrade'
7. After upgrade, verify the new version is installed with 'get system status' and confirm SSL-VPN functionality is operational
8. If immediate upgrade is not possible, disable SSL-VPN on the device using 'config vpn ssl settings' then 'set status disable' as a temporary mitigation

Caveat Major version upgrades (e.g., 6.x to 7.x) may require configuration changes and feature testing; review Fortinet upgrade guides before proceeding

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

Fix this in Fortios Exploited in the wild — priority engagement

Consultation4.0 h
Implementation2.0 h
Testing4.0 h
Review / QA2.0 h

12.0 hours of engineering $2,120

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Scan for this in your stack

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References

Primary sources

fortiguard.comProof of Concept
fortiguard.comExploitMitigationVendor Advisory
www.cisa.govUS Government Resource
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-42475 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2022-42475?

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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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

At a glance

Exploited in the wildOn CISA’s known-exploited list · agencies must fix by 2023-01-03

A fix existsUpgrade to 2.0.12 / 6.0.15 or later

Severity 9.8 Critical

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 99.5%

Affects: Fortios

Remediation

Being exploited — close it fast

Fix this in Fortios 12 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $2,120

Get it fixed fast See the full breakdown ↓

This CVE is on CISA’s actively-exploited list, so the clock is real — a vetted specialist can deliver a reviewed fix for your staging environment quickly.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

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

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References