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Threats / Fortinet / CVE-2018-13382
CVE-2018-13382 · EUVD no mirror located · GCVE no mirror located Verified 2026-06-22

Fortinet FortiOS and FortiProxy vulnerability

An improper authorization flaw in Fortinet FortiOS and FortiProxy SSL VPN web portal allows unauthenticated attackers to modify passwords, enabling unauthorized access and account takeover.

Verdict

Today item, not a backlog item.

This vulnerability permits unauthenticated password modification on SSL VPN portals, directly compromising account security. Active exploitation and ransomware campaigns demonstrate severe real-world impact. Immediate patching is critical for all affected deployments.

CISA KEV Yes · 2022-01-103Ransomware use Flagged3EPSS 0.81691 (verify live)4Exploit Weaponized · public PoC5
01

Is it exploitable?

— the evidence, ranked above the score
Exploit available
Fully weaponized — public exploit code is cataloged for this vulnerability.We link the existence of the exploit; we do not host or redistribute payloads.
Reported exploitation
5 independent public reports of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-01-10), flagged for known ransomware use.
CISA KEV ↗Confirmed
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.81691 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
Affected: Fortinet, FortiOS and FortiProxy. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.
NVD ↗Reported
Weakness (CWE)
Mapped to CWE-285 Improper Authorization — weakness family: Authorization / access control.CWE assignment from the public NVD record; the weakness class drives how the flaw is exploited.
NVD ↗Reported
WeaknessCWE-285 · Improper AuthorizationAuthorization / access control
02

Who’s exploiting it?

— attribution turns risk into urgency
Attribution not established

No confirmed (advisory-backed) threat-actor attribution is established for this record. Absence of a named actor is not absence of compromise — see Coverage & confidence.

03

Why it matters

— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board
1

Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1

Attacker
I access the SSL VPN web portal without authentication credentials.
Business
Perimeter security controls fail to enforce authentication on critical access points.
2

Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2

Attacker
I exploit the authorization bypass to modify an existing user's password.
Business
Legitimate user accounts are compromised, enabling lateral movement into protected networks.
3

Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3

Attacker
I use the hijacked credentials to establish persistent VPN access and deploy ransomware.
Business
Critical infrastructure and data are encrypted; operations halt and ransom demands follow.
04

What to do

— defensible action
  • Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
05

Coverage & confidence

— what we know, and what we don’t

Established (cited)

  • KEV listing (CISA)
  • Ransomware-use flag (CISA)
  • EPSS probability (FIRST)
  • Weaponized exploit available (VulnCheck)
  • 5 reported-exploitation source(s)
  • CWE weakness mapping (NVD)
  • Public exploit availability
  • Catalogued by fortinet (CNA)
  • Coverage gaps — stated, not hidden

  • No EUVD / GCVE mirror in feed — single-authority dependency for the identifier.
  • EPSS & exposure are time-varying; verify live at the source.
  • Threat-actor attribution not established from feed data — absence of a name is not absence of compromise.
  • No finder/reporter credit recorded in the public CVE entry — the work behind this find is unattributed.
  • Disclosure & credit2
    Catalogued by fortinetCNA
    Credited with finding itNo finder named in the public CVE record — the work behind this find is unattributed.