CVE-2022-42476

Super-admin escalation via crafted CLI traversal

Published Mar 7, 2023 · Updated Oct 23, 2024

Relative path traversal in Fortinet FortiOS and FortiProxy allows local users with privileged VDOM access to become device super admins. Fortinet identifies crafted CLI requests but has not disclosed the affected command or the pathname construction and validation error. Exploitation crosses a VDOM boundary and grants box-wide super-administrator control, including access to other administrative domains.

CVSS severity8.2
High
EPSS probability0.22%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Relative path traversal in Fortinet FortiOS and FortiProxy allows local users with privileged VDOM access to become device super admins. Fortinet identifies crafted CLI requests but has not disclosed the affected command or the pathname construction and validation error. Exploitation crosses a VDOM boundary and grants box-wide super-administrator control, including access to other administrative domains.

The record

CVE
CVE-2022-42476
Published
Mar 7, 2023
Updated
Oct 23, 2024
Vendor
Fortinet
Product
FortiOS
Classifications
CWE-22, CWE-23, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
admin

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 7, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 23, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

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

  1. Affected versionversion=6.2.0 <=6.2.12
  2. Affected versionversion=6.4.0 <=6.4.11
  3. Affected versionversion=7.0.0 <=7.0.8
  4. Affected versionversion=7.2.0 <=7.2.3

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesadmin

What is affected?

Fortinet · FortiOSversion=6.2.0 <=6.2.12; version=6.4.0 <=6.4.11; version=7.0.0 <=7.0.8; version=7.2.0 <=7.2.3
Fortinet · FortiProxyversion=1.1.0 <=1.1.6; version=1.2.0 <=1.2.13; version=2.0.0 <=2.0.11; version=7.0.0 <=7.0.7; version=7.2.0 <=7.2.1

Published CVSS scores

8.2NIST National Vulnerability DatabaseCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/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)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesadmin
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-22Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
CWE-23Relative Path Traversal
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

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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