How severe is CVE-2017-17544?

CVE-2017-17544 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.2, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2017-17544 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (75th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2017-17544?

CVE-2017-17544 affects Fortinet Fortios. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2017-17544?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2017-17544 published?

CVE-2017-17544 was published on 2019-04-09 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2017-17544

CVE-2017-17544 is a high-severity vulnerability in Fortinet Fortios with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.2. 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-269.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.2)
CVSS v2: 9.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (75th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-269
Affected product: Fortinet Fortios
Published: 2019-04-09
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

A privilege escalation vulnerability in Fortinet FortiOS 6.0.0 to 6.0.6, 5.6.0 to 5.6.10, 5.4 and below allows admin users to elevate their profile to super_admin via restoring modified configurations.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2017-17544?: A privilege escalation vulnerability in Fortinet FortiOS 6.0.0 to 6.0.6, 5.6.0 to 5.6.10, 5.4 and below allows admin users to elevate their profile to super_admin via restoring modified configurations.
How severe is CVE-2017-17544?: CVE-2017-17544 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.2, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2017-17544 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (75th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2017-17544?: CVE-2017-17544 affects Fortinet Fortios. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2017-17544?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2017-17544 published?: CVE-2017-17544 was published on 2019-04-09 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Fortinet Fortios

CVE-2005-3057 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The FTP component in FortiGate 2.8 running FortiOS 2.8MR10 and v3beta, and other versions before 3.0 MR1, allows remote…
CVE-2026-24858 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): An Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel vulnerability [CWE-288] vulnerability in Fortinet…
CVE-2025-59718 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): A improper verification of cryptographic signature vulnerability in Fortinet FortiOS 7.6.0 through 7.6.3, FortiOS 7.4.0…
CVE-2025-22252 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): A missing authentication for critical function in Fortinet FortiProxy versions 7.6.0 through 7.6.1, FortiSwitchManager…
CVE-2023-25610 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): A buffer underwrite ('buffer underflow') vulnerability in the administrative interface of Fortinet FortiOS version…
CVE-2024-55591 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): An Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel vulnerability [CWE-288] affecting FortiOS version 7.0.0…

All CVEs affecting Fortinet Fortios →

Other CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-31852 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Jellyfin is an open-source media system. The code-quality.yml GitHub Actions workflow in jellyfin/jellyfin-ios is…
CVE-2025-20282 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A vulnerability in an internal API of Cisco ISE and Cisco ISE-PIC could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to…
CVE-2025-0505 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): On Arista CloudVision systems (virtual or physical on-premise deployments), Zero Touch Provisioning can be used to gain…
CVE-2023-48418 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): In checkDebuggingDisallowed of DeviceVersionFragment.java, there is a possible way to access adb before SUW…
CVE-2023-48419 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): An attacker in the wifi vicinity of a target Google Home can spy on the victim, resulting in Elevation of Privilege
CVE-2023-31273 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Protection mechanism failure in some Intel DCM software before version 5.2 may allow an unauthenticated user to…

Browse all CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management) vulnerabilities →