# CVE-2025-22254: Privilege escalation in FortiOS

> Authenticated attackers with read-only admin permissions can escalate to super-admin privileges via crafted requests to the Node.js websocket module.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:H/RL:W/RC:C`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 10 Jun 2025
- **Updated:** 26 Feb 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-r2j8-539m-45q5

## What is CVE-2025-22254?

CVE-2025-22254 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Fortinet Fortios, published on 10 Jun 2025. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

An Improper Privilege Management vulnerability [CWE-269] vulnerability in Fortinet FortiOS 7.6.0 through 7.6.1, FortiOS 7.4.0 through 7.4.6, FortiOS 7.2.0 through 7.2.10, FortiOS 7.0.0 through 7.0.16, FortiOS 6.4.0 through 6.4.15, FortiProxy 7.6.0 through 7.6.1, FortiProxy 7.4.0 through 7.4.7, FortiWeb 7.6.0 through 7.6.1, FortiWeb 7.4.0 through 7.4.6 allows an authenticated attacker with at least read-only admin permissions to gain super-admin privileges via crafted requests to Node.js websocket module.

Weakness: CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-22254?

It affects 3 products.


Products: Fortinet Fortios, Fortinet Fortiproxy, Fortinet Fortiweb.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-22254?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-22254 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-22254 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-22254 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Fortinet Fortios

- [CVE-2024-23113](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-23113/): Fortinet Multiple Products Format String (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-40684](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-40684/): Fortinet Multiple Products Authentication Bypass (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-55591](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-55591/): Fortinet FortiOS and FortiProxy Authentication Bypass (critical 9.6, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-21762](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-21762/): Fortinet FortiOS Out-of-Bound Write (critical 9.6, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-42475](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-42475/): Fortinet FortiOS Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (critical 9.3, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-22254 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-22254 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Fortinet Fortios, published on 10 Jun 2025. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-22254 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Fortinet Fortios. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-22254/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-22254/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-22254
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-22254
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-22254

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-22254/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.