How severe is CVE-2016-7541?

CVE-2016-7541 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.9, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with high attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity high, and availability none.

Is CVE-2016-7541 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (57th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2016-7541?

CVE-2016-7541 primarily affects Fortinet Fortios. In total, 26 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2016-7541?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2016-7541 published?

CVE-2016-7541 was published on 2017-03-30 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2016-7541

CVE-2016-7541 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Fortinet Fortios with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.9. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-254.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.9)
CVSS v2: 4.3
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (57th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-254
Affected product: Fortinet Fortios
Published: 2017-03-30
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Long lived sessions in Fortinet FortiGate devices with FortiOS 5.x before 5.4.0 could violate a security policy during IPS signature updates when the FortiGate's IPSengine is configured in flow mode. All FortiGate versions with IPS configured in proxy mode (the default mode) are not affected.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-7541?: Long lived sessions in Fortinet FortiGate devices with FortiOS 5.x before 5.4.0 could violate a security policy during IPS signature updates when the FortiGate's IPSengine is configured in flow mode. All FortiGate versions with IPS configured in proxy mode (the default mode) are not affected.
How severe is CVE-2016-7541?: CVE-2016-7541 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.9, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with high attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity high, and availability none.
Is CVE-2016-7541 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (57th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2016-7541?: CVE-2016-7541 primarily affects Fortinet Fortios. In total, 26 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2016-7541?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2016-7541 published?: CVE-2016-7541 was published on 2017-03-30 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (26)

cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:5.0.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:5.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:5.0.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:5.0.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:5.0.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:5.0.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:5.0.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:5.0.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:5.0.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:5.0.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:5.0.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:5.0.11:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:5.0.12:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:5.0.13:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:5.0.14:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:5.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:5.2.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:5.2.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:5.2.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:5.2.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:5.2.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:5.2.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:5.2.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:5.2.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:5.2.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:5.2.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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