CVE-2023-40721

A use of externally-controlled format string vulnerability [CWE-134] vulnerability in Fortinet allows a privileged attacker to execute arbitrary code or commands via specially crafted requests.

Published: 2025-02-11 Last update: 2026-06-17 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2023-40721 is rated Low Risk (31.9/100): CVSS Medium severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.23%). Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2023-40721

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.04% 0.23% +0.19%
2 2025-02-12 — 0.04% —

Full EPSS history (2 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-40721

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
6.7 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:H)
They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 0.8 5.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-40721

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-40721

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
fortinet fortios >= 6.2.0, < 7.0.14 cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
fortinet fortios >= 7.2.0, < 7.2.7 cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
fortinet fortios 7.4.0 cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:7.4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
fortinet fortiswitchmanager >= 7.0.0, < 7.0.3 cpe:2.3:a:fortinet:fortiswitchmanager:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
fortinet fortiswitchmanager >= 7.2.0, < 7.2.3 cpe:2.3:a:fortinet:fortiswitchmanager:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
fortinet fortiproxy >= 1.2.0, < 7.0.15 cpe:2.3:a:fortinet:fortiproxy:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
fortinet fortiproxy >= 7.2.0, < 7.2.8 cpe:2.3:a:fortinet:fortiproxy:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
fortinet fortiproxy 7.4.0 cpe:2.3:a:fortinet:fortiproxy:7.4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
fortinet fortipam >= 1.0.0, < 1.2.0 cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortipam:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2023-40721

cvelogic Threat Intelligence