CVE-2022-35846Network attack vector

Admin credential compromise via missing Telnet account lockout

Published Oct 10, 2022 · Updated Oct 25, 2024

Improper attempt restriction in affected Fortinet FortiTester releases allows remote attackers to guess admin credentials over Telnet. The Telnet authentication path does not lock the administrator account after repeated failed logins, permitting continued password trials. Network reachability to TCP port 23 is sufficient; successful guessing grants administrator access, while no additional product impact is established.

CVSS severity9.8
Critical
EPSS probability0.81%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper attempt restriction in affected Fortinet FortiTester releases allows remote attackers to guess admin credentials over Telnet. The Telnet authentication path does not lock the administrator account after repeated failed logins, permitting continued password trials. Network reachability to TCP port 23 is sufficient; successful guessing grants administrator access, while no additional product impact is established.

The record

CVE
CVE-2022-35846
Published
Oct 10, 2022
Updated
Oct 25, 2024
Vendor
Fortinet
Product
FortiTester
Classifications
CWE-307, T1110.001
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 10, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 25, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=FortiTester 2.3.0 through 3.9.1, 4.0.0 through 4.2.0, 7.0.0 through 7.1.0

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Fortinet · FortiTesterversion=FortiTester 2.3.0 through 3.9.1, 4.0.0 through 4.2.0, 7.0.0 through 7.1.0

Published CVSS scores

9.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
8.1Fortinet, Inc.CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-307Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts
T1110.001Password Guessing

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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