Vulnary
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Critical· 9.8actively exploitedofficial fix available

CVE-2024-55591

A critical flaw in FortiOS and FortiProxy lets attackers gain super‑admin rights by sending specially crafted requests to a Node.js websocket module. The vulnerability is easy to exploit and can be used to take full control of the affected device.

publishedJan 14, 2025
last modifiedAug 5, 2026
sourcesNVD · CISA-KEV
severity · cvss
9.8
critical · how bad it is
exploitation · epss
98%
100th percentile · chance of exploitation in 30 days
(ai-assisted) A model wrote this summary from the official data, so double-check it against the source before you act on it. Read the official advisory →
auto-deletes from the system
counting…on Sep 4, 2026

An official fix is available, so this entry is kept for 30 days and then removed automatically.

01

Who is affected

FortiOS 7.0.0‑7.0.16 and FortiProxy 7.0.0‑7.0.19 and 7.2.0‑7.2.12. Users running these versions on network devices such as firewalls or proxies are at risk.

02

Real-world impact

An attacker could take complete control of the device, read or modify any data, install malware, or disrupt network services.

03

Why this severity

The CVSS score of 9.8 reflects that the flaw can be exploited remotely without authentication, gives full confidentiality, integrity, and availability compromise, and requires no user interaction.

04

What to do about it

official fix available
recommended steps
  1. 011. Review the vendor’s mitigation guidance for the affected FortiOS or FortiProxy version.
  2. 022. Apply the recommended configuration changes or install the vendor‑issued patch.
  3. 033. Restart the affected services or device to ensure the changes take effect.
interim mitigations
  • ›If a patch or configuration change is not available, discontinue use of the affected product until a fix is released.

CISA KEV required action

05

Timeline

  1. Jan 14, 2025 · Jan 14, 2025
    Confirmed exploited (CISA KEV)
    CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog — attackers are using it in the wild.
  2. Jan 14, 2025 · Jan 14, 2025
    Published
    Disclosed and added to the National Vulnerability Database.
  3. Jan 21, 2025 · Jan 21, 2025
    CISA remediation deadline
    Federal agencies are required to remediate by this date.
  4. Aug 5, 2026 · 19h ago
    Advisory updated
    The NVD record was last revised.
  5. Aug 5, 2026 · 17h ago
    Official fix available
    A vendor patch or mitigation now exists — see the remediation steps above.
06

How it’s attacked

Attack vectorNetwork (remote)
Attack complexityLow
Privileges requiredNone
User interactionNone needed
ScopeUnchanged
Confidentiality impactHigh
Integrity impactHigh
Availability impactHigh
07

References & advisories

NVD advisory ↗CISA KEV catalog ↗Search advisories ↗
(ai-assisted) A model wrote this summary from the official data, so double-check it against the source before you act on it. Read the official advisory →