CVE-2022-40684Known exploitationPublic exploitNetwork attack vector

Unauthenticated administrative access via trusted proxy headers

Published Oct 18, 2022 · Updated Aug 6, 2026

Authentication bypass in Fortinet FortiOS, FortiProxy, and FortiSwitchManager allows remote attackers to perform administrative operations. The HTTPSD access check trusts attacker-controlled Forwarded and User-Agent headers, treating a spoofed loopback client using Report Runner as a trusted internal request. Network access to the HTTP or HTTPS management interface is sufficient to modify configuration, add administrator accounts, or retrieve configuration data without credentials.

CVSS severity9.8
Critical
EPSS probability99.98%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationReported
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Authentication bypass in Fortinet FortiOS, FortiProxy, and FortiSwitchManager allows remote attackers to perform administrative operations. The HTTPSD access check trusts attacker-controlled Forwarded and User-Agent headers, treating a spoofed loopback client using Report Runner as a trusted internal request. Network access to the HTTP or HTTPS management interface is sufficient to modify configuration, add administrator accounts, or retrieve configuration data without credentials.

The record

CVE
CVE-2022-40684
Published
Oct 18, 2022
Updated
Aug 6, 2026
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-288, CWE-287, T1190
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 11, 2022Exploitation reportedCISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog entry
  2. Oct 18, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  3. Aug 6, 2026Record 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?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

9.6FortinetCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:F/RL:U/RC:C
9.8NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
9.8FortinetCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/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 IPsShadowserver observations through Sep 16, 2026. Gaps indicate unavailable data.
Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
View daily counts
Reporting dayUnique IPs
Sep 10, 2026Unavailable
Sep 11, 2026Unavailable
Sep 12, 2026Unavailable
Sep 13, 2026Unavailable
Sep 14, 202618
Sep 15, 202616
Sep 16, 202617
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPs17
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationReported
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-288Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel
CWE-287Improper Authentication
T1190Exploit Public-Facing Application

Public exploit references

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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