What is CVE-2022-40684?

CVE-2022-40684 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Fortinet Fortios, Fortiproxy, Fortiswitchmanager, classified under Improper Authentication. CVSS score: 9.8/10. Published 2022-10-18.

How severe is CVE-2022-40684?

Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.8 out of 10.

Is CVE-2022-40684 known to be exploited?

Yes. CVE-2022-40684 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-10-11), indicating it is being actively exploited. 103 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed.

Auth bypass in Fortinet Fortios, Fortiproxy, Fortiswitchmanager

CVE-2022-40684

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.

Vulnerability class: Broken Authentication

Published 2022-10-18 · last modified 2026-08-06.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 9.8 (Critical). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 1.000 (100.0th percentile), scored 2026-09-24.

Very high probability of exploitation in the next 30 days — among the top 0.1% most-likely-to-be-exploited CVEs. 100th percentile — 100.0% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 1.000 · newest: 1.000 · change: 0.000

Affected products

Fortinet Fortios, Fortiproxy, Fortiswitchmanager — versions FortiOS 7.2.1, 7.2.0, 7.0.6, 7.0.5, 7.0.4, 7.0.3, 7.0.2, 7.0.1, 7.0.0; FortiProxy 7.2.0, 7.0.6, 7.0.5, 7.0.4, 7.0.3, 7.0.2, 7.0.1, 7.0.0; FortiSwitchManager 7.2.0, 7.0.0
Fortinet Fortios
Fortinet Fortiproxy — versions 7.2.0
Fortinet Fortiswitchmanager — versions 7.0.0, 7.2.0

Weakness classification (CWE)

CWE-287 — Improper Authentication

CISA KEV (Known Exploited Vulnerabilities)

This CVE is on the CISA KEV catalog, added on 2022-10-11. CISA KEV inclusion means CISA has confirmed in-the-wild exploitation; US federal agencies are required to remediate within a published due date.

BOD 22-01 due date: 2022-11-01.

Required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Known ransomware campaign use: yes.

Public proof-of-concept exploits

References

fortiguard.com/psirt/FG-IR-22-377 (Mitigation, Vendor Advisory)
packetstormsecurity.com/files/169431/Fortinet-FortiOS-FortiProxy-FortiSwitchMan… (Exploit, VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory)
packetstormsecurity.com/files/171515/Fortinet-7.2.1-Authentication-Bypass.html (Exploit, VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory)
134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 (US Government Resource)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2022-40684?: CVE-2022-40684 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Fortinet Fortios, Fortiproxy, Fortiswitchmanager, classified under Improper Authentication. CVSS score: 9.8/10. Published 2022-10-18.
How severe is CVE-2022-40684?: Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.8 out of 10.
Is CVE-2022-40684 known to be exploited?: Yes. CVE-2022-40684 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-10-11), indicating it is being actively exploited. 103 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed.