FortiauthenticatorApplication · Fortinet
CVE-2019-16154
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 improper neutralization of input during web page generation in FortiAuthenticator WEB UI 6.0.0 may allow an unauthenticated user to perform a cross-site scripting attack (XSS) via a parameter of the logon page.
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 · high confidenceA reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in FortiAuthenticator WEB UI version 6.0.0 allows unauthenticated attackers to inject malicious JavaScript through a parameter on the logon page. When victims access the crafted URL, the unsanitized input is rendered in their browser, enabling session hijacking or credential theft.
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
= 6.0.0CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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.
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Identify FortiAuthenticator installed versionAccess the system administration interface or check the firmware version through the CLI or web UI. On FortiAuthenticator, the version is typically displayed in the system dashboard or in the footer of the web interface. If using CLI, the command 'get system status' or 'diag sys status' often returns version information.Affected if The installed version is exactly 6.0.0.
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Confirm web UI is enabledCheck the system settings or network configuration to verify that the web UI service (HTTPS management interface) is currently enabled and listening for connections. This is typically found in System > Administration > Administrators or under network interface settings.Affected if The web UI interface is enabled and accessible.
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Verify logon page is exposedAttempt to access the FortiAuthenticator logon page over HTTPS (typically at / or /login) from a network location that would be accessible to potential attackers. Confirm the page loads and accepts parameters.Affected if The logon page is reachable over the network and accepts URL parameters without sanitization.
You are affected if you are running FortiAuthenticator version 6.0.0 with the web UI enabled and accessible, since the vulnerability allows unauthenticated reflected XSS through a parameter on the logon page.
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 dataApply the vendor patch for FortiAuthenticator 6.0.0 or upgrade to a patched version. As an interim control, disable the web UI if not required, or implement WAF rules to filter XSS payloads in logon page parameters.
Fix this in Fortiauthenticator
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-16154 — 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-2019-16154 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
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- 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
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