FortiosOperating system · Fortinet
CVE-2017-14185
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 · uneditedAn Information Disclosure vulnerability in Fortinet FortiOS 5.6.0 to 5.6.2, 5.4.0 to 5.4.8 and 5.2 all versions allows SSL VPN web portal users to access internal FortiOS configuration information (eg:addresses) via specifically crafted URLs inside the SSL-VPN web portal.
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 confidenceAn information disclosure vulnerability in Fortinet FortiOS SSL VPN web portal allows authenticated VPN users to access internal FortiOS configuration data such as addresses via specifically crafted URLs. The vulnerability affects versions 5.6.0-5.6.2, 5.4.0-5.4.8, and all 5.2 versions.
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
FortiosOperating system
>= 5.2.0, <= 5.2.13>= 5.4.0, <= 5.4.8>= 5.6.0, <= 5.6.2CVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify FortiOS versionRun 'get system status' via CLI or check the FortiOS dashboard for the firmware version numberAffected if The version falls within 5.2.0-5.2.13, 5.4.0-5.4.8, or 5.6.0-5.6.2
-
Verify SSL VPN web portal is enabledCheck FortiOS configuration for 'ssl vpn web portal' settings via 'show ssl vpn web portal' in CLIAffected if An SSL VPN web portal is configured and active
-
Review SSL VPN access logs for suspicious URLsInspect SSL VPN and FortiGate logs for URLs containing patterns that access internal configuration endpoints, such as paths referencing 'addr' or 'firewall/address' objectsAffected if Logs show requests to internal configuration data URLs that were not initiated by administrators
-
Check for unauthorized access to address objectsReview log entries for 'firewall address' or similar internal configuration object access through the SSL VPN web portalAffected if Non-administrator VPN users have accessed internal address or configuration objects
If FortiOS version is within 5.2.0-5.2.13, 5.4.0-5.4.8, or 5.6.0-5.6.2 and the SSL VPN web portal is accessible to users, the environment is vulnerable to information disclosure via crafted URLs.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataUpgrade FortiOS to a patched version beyond 5.6.2/5.4.8. Until then, limit SSL VPN web portal access to trusted users only and monitor for suspicious URL patterns.
Fix this in Fortios
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,680.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-14185 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-14185 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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