Privileged code execution via CLI format strings
Published Feb 11, 2025 · Updated Jan 14, 2026
Format string injection in Fortinet FortiOS, FortiProxy, FortiPAM, and FortiSwitch Manager allows privileged attackers to execute code. Affected CLI commands pass attacker-controlled request data to a formatting operation as the format string rather than as literal data. Access to the vulnerable commands already requires privileged local access, but successful exploitation executes arbitrary code or commands on the appliance.
Summary
What happened
Format string injection in Fortinet FortiOS, FortiProxy, FortiPAM, and FortiSwitch Manager allows privileged attackers to execute code. Affected CLI commands pass attacker-controlled request data to a formatting operation as the format string rather than as literal data. Access to the vulnerable commands already requires privileged local access, but successful exploitation executes arbitrary code or commands on the appliance.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-40721
- Published
- Feb 11, 2025
- Updated
- Jan 14, 2026
- Vendor
- Fortinet
- Product
- FortiOS
- Classifications
- CWE-134, T1059
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- admin
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Feb 11, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jan 14, 2026Record 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.
- Affected versionversion=6.2.0 <=6.2.17
- Affected versionversion=6.4.0 <=6.4.16
- Affected versionversion=7.0.0 <=7.0.13
- Affected versionversion=7.2.0 <=7.2.5
- Affected versionversion=7.4.0
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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