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FortiauthenticatorApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2013-6990

HIGH · 9.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2014-04-30
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.2 or later.
See remediation →
96/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
FortiGuard FortiAuthenticator before 3.0 allows remote administrators to gain privileges via the command line interface.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

This is a privilege escalation vulnerability in FortiAuthenticator versions prior to 3.0. The flaw allows remote administrators to elevate their privileges through the command line interface, likely by exploiting improper access controls or input validation in CLI commands.

MitigationUpgrade FortiAuthenticator to version 3.0 or later. If immediate upgrading is not feasible, restrict CLI access to only trusted management networks and enforce strong administrator authentication.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
FortiauthenticatorApplication
Affected:<= 2.2

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
Single
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify FortiAuthenticator version
    Access the FortiAuthenticator web interface or CLI and retrieve the current firmware/software version. In the web UI, this is typically found under System > Dashboard > System Information or via the 'get system status' command in CLI.
    Affected if The installed version is 2.2 or lower (any version prior to 3.0).
  2. Verify CLI access is enabled
    Check the FortiAuthenticator configuration for CLI access settings. In the web UI, navigate to System > Administration > Administrators or check CLI settings. Use the command 'show system interface' or review administrative access settings.
    Affected if CLI access (SSH or console) is permitted and the version is vulnerable.
  3. Check remote administrative access configuration
    Review which IP addresses or networks are permitted for administrative access. In the web UI, go to System > Network > Interfaces and inspect the 'Administrative Access' settings for each interface, or use 'get system interface' command.
    Affected if Remote administrative access is enabled on any interface and the version is vulnerable.
  4. Review administrator account privileges
    Examine the list of administrator accounts and their assigned privilege levels. In the web UI, navigate to System > Administration > Administrators. Check for any accounts with elevated privileges beyond their intended role.
    Affected if There are remote administrators configured and the version is vulnerable, allowing potential privilege escalation.

The environment is affected if FortiAuthenticator version is 2.2 or lower AND CLI or remote administrative access is enabled.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 2.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade FortiAuthenticator to version 3.0 or later. If immediate upgrading is not feasible, restrict CLI access to only trusted management networks and enforce strong administrator authentication.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

FortiAuthenticator 3.0 or later

  1. 1. Backup current FortiAuthenticator configuration
  2. 2. Download FortiAuthenticator version 3.0 or later from Fortinet's support portal
  3. 3. Upload the firmware upgrade via the FortiAuthenticator web interface or CLI
  4. 4. Verify the upgrade completed successfully
  5. 5. Confirm the new version is 3.0 or higher
  6. 6. Test that administrative functions work correctly post-upgrade
Caveat Review FortiAuthenticator 3.0 release notes for any configuration or feature changes that may affect existing setups

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Fortiauthenticator Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2013-6990 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data