Known exploited vulnerability
CVE-2019-6693
The short answer
CVE-2019-6693 affects Fortinet FortiGate and is rated medium (CVSS 6.5). CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2025-06-25: attackers are using it, so patch it first.
What it is
Use of a hard-coded cryptographic key to cipher sensitive data in FortiOS configuration backup file may allow an attacker with access to the backup file to decipher the sensitive data, via knowledge of the hard-coded key. The aforementioned sensitive data includes users' passwords (except the administrator's password), private keys' passphrases and High Availability password (when set).
Weakness: CWE-798.
Severity
6.5 medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Exploited (CISA KEV)
Yes, since Jun 25, 2025
Federal due date Jul 16, 2025
EPSS, next 30 days
6.6%
Higher than 94% of scored CVEs
How it can be exploited
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- None
- Availability impact
- None
What CISA says 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.
Affected products
FortiGate. NVD's record lists the exact affected versions.
References
- fortiguard.com/advisory/FG-IR-19-007 MitigationVendor Advisory
- fortiguard.com/advisory/FG-IR-19-007 MitigationVendor Advisory
- www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2019-6693 US Government Resource
Questions
Is CVE-2019-6693 being exploited?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2019-6693 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2025-06-25, with a federal remediation due date of 2025-07-16. CISA lists it as used in ransomware campaigns.
How do I fix CVE-2019-6693?
CISA's required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
From NVD, CISA KEV, FIRST EPSS and OSV.dev, checked . Status on NVD: Analyzed. The description is NVD's text, quoted as published.
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