CVE-2017-17540

CRITICAL

The presence of a hardcoded account in Fortinet FortiWLC 8.3.3 allows attackers to gain unauthorized read/write access via a remote shell.

Affects 1 product across 1 vendor.

BCS7.1
CVSS 3.09.8
EPSS2.0%
Percentile80th
PatchUnknown
CVSS Vector — Plain English Remotely exploitable over the network, low complexity, no authentication required, no user interaction needed, impact contained to the vulnerable component, full confidentiality impact, full integrity impact, full availability impact.
CWE Weakness Definitions
CWE-798: Use of Hard-Coded Credentials

Software contains embedded passwords or keys that cannot be changed by the administrator.

Related Attack Patterns (CAPEC)
CAPEC-70 Try Common or Default Usernames and Passwords
via CWE-798
CAPEC-191 Read Sensitive Constants Within an Executable
via CWE-798

Mapping is CWE-to-CAPEC per MITRE CAPEC 3.9.

◆ AI Analysis — automated analysis, not human-reviewed

This vulnerability was disclosed in 2018. A critical vulnerability affects Fortinet systems (CVE-2017-17540). No public exploit code is currently available. Isolate affected systems if patching is not feasible.

BSID: BS-2018-GLOBAL-117495-C • Model: rule-based-v1 • Confidence: MEDIUM

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Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2017-17540?
This vulnerability was disclosed in 2018. A critical vulnerability affects Fortinet systems (CVE-2017-17540). No public exploit code is currently available. Isolate affected systems if patching is not feasible.
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2017-17540?
CVE-2017-17540 has CVSS 9.8 (Critical). Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. EPSS: 2.0%.
Is CVE-2017-17540 actively exploited?
No confirmed active exploitation of CVE-2017-17540 as of 2026-09-25.
How do I remediate CVE-2017-17540?
Priority: MEDIUM. Advisory: https://fortiguard.com/advisory/FG-IR-17-274 PSIRT: [email protected]
What systems are affected by CVE-2017-17540?
CVE-2017-17540 affects: Fortinet.
Vulnerability Details
CVE IDCVE-2017-17540
BSIDBS-2018-GLOBAL-117495-C BreachSpider Global ID
CVSS VectorCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Published2018-05-08
Last Modified2026-06-17
ICS Relevance70%
Weakness (CWE)
Use of Hard-Coded Credentials
Domains
NETWORK-INFRA
SourceNVD
Official Description

The presence of a hardcoded account in Fortinet FortiWLC 8.3.3 allows attackers to gain unauthorized read/write access via a remote shell.

Source: NIST NVD / MITRE CVE Database

Attack Vector Analysis — CITED Relevance

Vulnerability details: The presence of a hardcoded account in Fortinet FortiWLC 8.3.3 allows attackers to gain unauthorized read/write access via a remote shell. CVSS vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Exploitation Likelihood: LOW

Affected Products
VendorProductFixed Version
Fortinet Fortiwlc —
Remediation
View Vendor Advisory →

Remediation Priority: MEDIUM

Vendor PSIRT: [email protected]
Threat Intelligence
● Threat Intelligence Validated: September 2026 | Threat Age: 3065 Days
CISA KEVNot in KEV catalog
Public ExploitNot confirmed
PoC CodeNot confirmed
AI Enrichment Record — provenance & audit hash
Modelrule-based-v1
ConfidenceMEDIUM
Enriched At2026-05-24
SHA-512 Audit Hashdaf47fe1ae3b93e93be70162027702f487a38bb61c0265dd499ae0211d859601b82d38b29f2b75085ea1c1f923bd0496cc35ab798db39126c2b7a00df68a7e44
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