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Full vulnerability report · 2023
CVE-2022-42475High confidence

Fortinet FortiOS Heap-Based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

Fortinet · FortiOS

Official source article: Siemens SSA-770770 ↗. Check the applicable product and release in the original source.

9.3CriticalCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Patch only the product branches with a verified fix

CISA confirms exploitation in the wild and lists 2023-01-03 as the remediation due date. Verified remediation exists for at least one product or source, but 1 structured product or package state remain unresolved. Apply remediation only to the exact product branch confirmed by its source.

Fix availability varies by product
R
Operational reassessment

Published severity in operational context

Open reassessment dashboard →
Published severityCriticalOperational priority:Critical, unchanged from published severity.unchanged

Evidence used

  • CISA confirms exploitation in the wild.
  • A structured source references public exploit or proof-of-concept material.
  • The selected CVSS metric records a network-reachable, unauthenticated path with no user interaction.
  • EPSS is 99.47% for the current model date.

Compensating controls

  • Validate the affected product branch and deploy the verified fixed release.
  • Restrict the affected network interface to trusted sources where business-safe.
  • Increase monitoring for the attack path and post-exploitation behaviour described in the report.

Verification

  1. Confirm that the asset runs Fortinet FortiOS and falls inside the recorded affected range.
  2. Verify the installed build against the product-specific fixed version after deployment.
  3. Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
  4. Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Mitigation target: Within 3 daysRemediation target: Within 90 days

This automated reassessment organises public evidence. It does not know asset exposure, business impact or control effectiveness and does not replace CVSS or a human risk decision.

Cross-source reconciliation

Remediation availability differs by product scope

Verified remediation exists for at least one product or source, but 1 structured product or package state remain unresolved. Apply remediation only to the exact product branch confirmed by its source.

Direct vendor intelligence

Authoritative vendor CSAF and VEX advisories

Structured product status and remediation from the issuing vendor. Product-state explanations are always visible; large lists can be searched or downloaded.

1 current
SSA-770770 · CSAF 2.0 · revision 9 · finalSiemens ProductCERTSSA-770770: Multiple Vulnerabilities in Fortigate NGFW Before V7.4.7 on RUGGEDCOM APE1808 Devices
1 known affected

The vendor explicitly identifies these products as affected by this CVE.

  • RUGGEDCOM APE1808
Summary
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.
Remediation
Update Fortigate NGFW to V7.4.7. Contact customer support to receive patch and update information
Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Choose official national sources for this report. Each advisory shows its original language. Your selection is remembered on this device and included in shared links.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2022-45545

CISA KEV mirrored by ENISA

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.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Recorded by ENISA since 13 Dec 2022. Evidence sources: cisa_kev.
ENISA score
9.3 · CVSS 3.1
Advisory evidence
5 linked advisory records
Recommended actionPatch only the product branches with a verified fix

CISA confirms exploitation in the wild and lists 2023-01-03 as the remediation due date. Verified remediation exists for at least one product or source, but 1 structured product or package state remain unresolved. Apply remediation only to the exact product branch confirmed by its source.

Fix availability varies by product
01

What, why and how

Multiple versions of Fortinet FortiOS SSL-VPN contain a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability which can allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code or commands via specifically crafted requests.

What

Multiple versions of Fortinet FortiOS SSL-VPN contain a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability which can allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code or commands via specifically crafted requests.

Why

Truncation errors occur when a primitive is cast to a primitive of a smaller size and data is lost in the conversion.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may execute code or commands in the affected security context.

What

Multiple versions of Fortinet FortiOS SSL-VPN contain a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability which can allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code or commands via specifically crafted requests.

Why

Truncation errors occur when a primitive is cast to a primitive of a smaller size and data is lost in the conversion.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may execute code or commands in the affected security context.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
Confirmed in the wild

CISA added this CVE to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 2022-12-13. Known ransomware campaign use is recorded.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
Reference recorded

A structured CVE source labels at least one public reference as exploit material. BlackTree has not independently validated that it is safe, reliable or weaponised.

Likely attack path
a network path → Numeric Truncation Error → execute code or commands in the affected security context
Attack surface
Network
Privileges required
None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-197 ↗

CWE-197: Numeric Truncation Error. Truncation errors occur when a primitive is cast to a primitive of a smaller size and data is lost in the conversion.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:U/RC:C

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVNetworkAttack vector: The vulnerable component can be reached over a network.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRNonePrivileges required: The attacker does not need an account or existing privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.AHighAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
After compromise, an attacker may use built-in shells, scripting engines, scheduled tasks and native network utilities for discovery, persistence or movement. This is a plausible LoTL path, not evidence that it has occurred for every attack.
NetworkUnauthenticatedRemote code executionCWE-197CISA KEVPublic exploit reference
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2022-45545Known-exploited evidence recorded

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.

Official EUVD record ↗
BSI · German · WID-SEC-2022-2293Fortinet FortiOS und FortiProxy: Schwachstelle ermöglicht Codeausführung

Ein entfernter, anonymer Angreifer kann eine Schwachstelle in Fortinet FortiOS und FortiProxy ausnutzen, um beliebigen Programmcode auszuführen.

Official advisory ↗
Canadian Centre for Cyber Security · English · AL25-005Compromise and persistent access of Fortinet FortiOS products (CVE-2022-42475, CVE-2023-27997, CVE-2024-21762)

An Alert is used to raise awareness of a recently identified cyber threat that may impact cyber information assets, and to provide additional detection and mitigation advice to recipients. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security ("Cyber Centre") is also available to provide additional assistance regarding the content of this Alert to recipients as requested.

Official advisory ↗
Canadian Centre for Cyber Security · English · AV22-693Fortinet security advisory (AV22-693)

On 12 December 2022, Fortinet published a Security Advisory to address a vulnerability in the following products: Exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to arbitrary code or command execution.

Official advisory ↗
Cyber Security Agency of Singapore · English · CSA-SB-20230104Security Bulletin 04 Jan 2023

The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore included this CVE in its official Security Bulletin 04 Jan 2023, published on 4 January 2023. Open the linked bulletin for the product, severity and reference information published in that issue.

Official advisory ↗
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2022-AVI-1090Vulnérabilité dans Fortinet FortiOS SSL-VPN

Une vulnérabilité a été découverte dans Fortinet FortiOS SSL-VPN. Elle permet à un attaquant de provoquer une exécution de code arbitraire à distance.

Official advisory ↗
JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2022-004202FortiOS および FortiProxy における境界外書き込みに関する脆弱性

FortiOS および FortiProxy には、境界外書き込みに関する脆弱性が存在します。

Official advisory ↗
KISA KrCERT/CC · Korean · KNVD-6448Fortinet 제품 보안 업데이트 권고

FortiOS SSL-VPN에서 발생하는 힙 오버플로 취약점(CVE-2022-42475) [1][2][5]

Official advisory ↗
KISA KrCERT/CC · Korean · KNVD-5803Fortinet 제품 취약점 보안 업데이트 권고

FortiOS SSL-VPN에서 발생하는 힙 오버플로 취약점 (CVE-2022-42475) [2]

Official advisory ↗
KISA KrCERT/CC · Korean · KNVD-5801현재 악용되고 있는 Exploit(Update. 2022-12-13)

Multiple versions of Fortinet FortiOS SSL-VPN contain a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability which can allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code or commands via specifically crafted requests.

Official advisory ↗
03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Fix availability varies by product
Affected
RUGGEDCOM APE1808
Fixed
Action
Use the product-specific evidence above. Patch only products with a verified fixed release, and keep every affected or under-investigation state without a matching fix in the remediation queue.
Workaround
A mitigation or workaround reference is available from the source linked below; validate it against the affected product and version.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 2 Jan 2023 · Last source change 21 Oct 2025, 23:15 UTC · CWE-197 · Numeric Truncation Error

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2022-45545
Product sourceVendor CSAF · Siemens ProductCERT
Remediation sourceVendor CSAF · Siemens ProductCERT
CWE sourceCNA
NVD statusNVD enriched

Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗
  1. Affected versionsThe structured affected or fixed version information changed.
    Before
    7.2.0 ≤ 7.2.1; 7.0.0 ≤ 7.0.7; 2.0.0 ≤ 2.0.11; 1.2.0 ≤ 1.2.13; 1.1.0 ≤ 1.1.6; 1.0.0 ≤ 1.0.7; 7.2.0 ≤ 7.2.2; 7.0.0 ≤ 7.0.8 · Fixed: No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
    After
    FortiProxy: 7.2.0 ≤ 7.2.1, 7.0.0 ≤ 7.0.7, 2.0.0 ≤ 2.0.11, 1.2.0 ≤ 1.2.13, 1.1.0 ≤ 1.1.6, 1.0.0 ≤ 1.0.7; FortiOS: 7.2.0 ≤ 7.2.2, 7.0.0 ≤ 7.0.8, 6.4.0 ≤ 6.4.10, 6.2.0 ≤ 6.2.11, 6.0.0 ≤ 6.0.15, 5.6.0 ≤ 5.6.14, 5.4.0 ≤ 5.4.13, 5.2.0 ≤ 5.2.15, 5.0.0 ≤ 5.0.14 · Fixed: Please upgrade to FortiOS version 7.2.3 or above; Please upgrade to FortiOS version 7.0.9 or above; Please upgrade to FortiOS version 6.4.11 or above; Please upgrade to FortiOS version 6.2.12 or above; Please upgrade to FortiOS version 6.0.16 or above; Please upgrade to upcoming FortiOS-6K7K version 7.0.8 or above; Please upgrade to FortiOS-6K7K version 6.4.10 or above; Please upgrade to FortiOS-6K7K version 6.2.12 or above; Please upgrade to FortiOS-6K7K version 6.0.15 or above; Please upgrade to FortiProxy version 7.2.2 or above; Please upgrade to FortiProxy version 7.0.8 or above; Please upgrade to upcoming FortiProxy version 2.0.12 or above
    CNA ↗
  2. Remediation statusRemediation status changed from Mitigation available to Patch available.
    Before
    Mitigation available
    After
    Patch available
    fortiguard.com ↗
Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2022-42475 · cve.blacktree.nl