VulnerabilityPublished 10 Mar 2026

CVE-2026-22628: Fortinet FortiSwitchAXFixed · Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands

Affects Fortinet FortiSwitchAXFixedSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.1 Medium.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 11:52 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.1Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 4% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L/E:X/RL:O/RC:C

Base metrics

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: Low
Availability: Low

Temporal metrics

Remediation Level: Official Fix
Report Confidence: Confirmed

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Local: The vulnerable component is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either: the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or remotely (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., tricking a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on the impacted component.
Availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the impacted component are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Remediation Level: Official Fix: A complete vendor solution is available. Either the vendor has issued an official patch, or an upgrade is available.
Report Confidence: Confirmed: Detailed reports exist, or functional reproduction is possible (functional exploits may provide this). Source code is available to independently verify the assertions of the research, or the author or vendor of the affected code has confirmed the presence of the vulnerability.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 10 Mar 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 30 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
FortinetFortiSwitchAXFixed	Affected >=1.0.0 <=1.0.1	Fixed in–

CPE configurations (2)

cpe:2.3:a:fortinet:fortiswitchaxfixed:1.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:fortinet:fortiswitchaxfixed:1.0.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

AI-suggested

Restrict administrative access to FortiSwitchAXFixed devices using strong authentication methods such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) and limit admin accounts to trusted personnel only.
Monitor and audit SSH configuration files and administrative actions on the devices to detect any unauthorized or suspicious changes promptly.
Implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of management interfaces to trusted networks and hosts only.
Regularly review and rotate administrative credentials to reduce the risk of credential compromise.
Stay informed on Fortinet advisories and apply official patches or firmware updates as soon as they become available to address this vulnerability.
Consider deploying intrusion detection or prevention systems that can identify anomalous command execution or configuration changes on network devices.
Conduct periodic security assessments and penetration testing focused on administrative interfaces to uncover potential exploitation paths.

Description

CVE-2026-22628 is an improper access control vulnerability in Fortinet FortiSwitchAXFixed versions 1.0.0 through 1.0.1. It allows an authenticated administrator to execute arbitrary system commands by leveraging a specially crafted SSH configuration file. The vulnerability requires low privileges (authenticated admin) and no user interaction, with a medium CVSS score of 5.1. Exploitation could lead to partial confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts on affected devices. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild.

Impact

The vulnerability allows an authenticated administrator to execute arbitrary system commands, which can lead to unauthorized changes in device configuration, potential data leakage, or disruption of network operations. Although the attacker must already have admin credentials, this flaw significantly elevates the risk of insider threats or credential compromise scenarios. Exploitation could result in partial loss of confidentiality (exposure of sensitive configuration or operational data), integrity (unauthorized modification of device settings), and availability (potential disruption or denial of network services). Organizations relying on FortiSwitchAXFixed devices in critical network infrastructure could face operational disruptions or security breaches if this vulnerability is exploited. The medium severity rating reflects the balance between the required privileges and the potential impact, but the risk is heightened in environments with weak credential management or insufficient monitoring.

References

fortiguard.fortinet.com/psirt/FG-IR-26-085 (opens in a new tab)

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