Fortinet FortiOS Use of Hard-Coded Credentials Vulnerability (CVE-2019-6693)
Severity: medium · Patch status: unknown · Since 2025-06-25 · CVE-2019-6693
Fortinet FortiOS contains a use of hard-coded credentials vulnerability that could allow an attacker to cipher sensitive data in FortiOS configuration backup file via knowledge of the hard-coded key. CISA added CVE-2019-6693 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on Jun 25, 2025, which means attackers are exploiting it in the wild. CISA reports known use in ransomware campaigns.
What to do
- Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
- US federal agencies must remediate by Jul 16, 2025 (BOD 22-01); treat that as the outer limit.
Sources
All live incidents on Threat Watch
