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FortiosOperating system · Fortinet

CVE-2019-6697

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-03-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.0.7 / 6.2.2 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
An Improper Neutralization of Input vulnerability affecting FortiGate version 6.2.0 through 6.2.1, 6.0.0 through 6.0.6 in the hostname parameter of a DHCP packet under DHCP monitor page may allow an unauthenticated attacker in the same network as the FortiGate to perform a Stored Cross Site Scripting attack (XSS) by sending a crafted DHCP packet.

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 confidence

A stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in FortiGate firewalls running versions 6.2.0-6.2.1 and 6.0.0-6.0.6 allows an unauthenticated attacker on the same network segment to inject malicious JavaScript via the hostname field in DHCP packets. The payload is stored and rendered when an administrator views the DHCP monitor page in the FortiGate GUI.

MitigationUpgrade FortiGate to version 6.2.2 or later (6.0.7 or later for the 6.0 branch) to receive the patch. As an interim control, restrict network access to the DHCP service and limit administrative GUI access to trusted IP addresses.

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
Affected:>= 6.0.0, < 6.0.7>= 6.2.0, < 6.2.2

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
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 checks

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

  1. Check FortiOS version
    Retrieve the current FortiOS version running on the FortiGate device and compare it against the affected ranges: 6.0.0-6.0.6 or 6.2.0-6.2.1.
    Affected if The installed version is 6.0.0 through 6.0.6, or 6.2.0 through 6.2.1.
  2. Verify DHCP server is enabled
    Confirm whether the FortiGate DHCP server or DHCP relay service is configured and active on the device.
    Affected if DHCP server or relay is enabled, as the malicious payload is injected via DHCP hostname fields.
  3. Confirm GUI access is permitted
    Determine if the FortiGate administrative GUI is accessible, either locally or over the network.
    Affected if The GUI is accessible, since the XSS payload is rendered when an administrator views the DHCP monitor page.
  4. Assess network segment exposure
    Evaluate whether untrusted or unauthorized devices on the same network segment can reach the FortiGate DHCP service.
    Affected if Unauthenticated attackers on the same network segment can send DHCP packets to the device.

All four conditions must be present for exploitation: a vulnerable FortiOS version, active DHCP service, accessible GUI, and exposure of the DHCP interface to untrusted network segments.

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 6.0.7 / 6.2.2 or later
Fixed in 6.0.76.2.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade FortiGate to version 6.2.2 or later (6.0.7 or later for the 6.0 branch) to receive the patch. As an interim control, restrict network access to the DHCP service and limit administrative GUI access to trusted IP addresses.

Recommended fix High confidence

FortiOS 6.0.7 or later for 6.0.x branches; FortiOS 6.2.2 or later for 6.2.x branches

  1. 1. Identify current FortiGate FortiOS version by running 'get system status' in CLI or checking in GUI under Dashboard > Status
  2. 2. If running FortiOS 6.0.x (6.0.0 through 6.0.6), plan upgrade to version 6.0.7 or later
  3. 3. If running FortiOS 6.2.x (6.2.0 through 6.2.1), plan upgrade to version 6.2.2 or later
  4. 4. Download the appropriate firmware upgrade from Fortinet's support portal (fortinet.com/support)
  5. 5. Upload and install the firmware via FortiGate GUI (System > Firmware) or CLI (execute restore config or execute upgrade)
  6. 6. After upgrade, verify the new version is running with 'get system status'
  7. 7. Validate that the DHCP monitor page properly sanitizes hostname input
Caveat Review Fortinet release notes for your target version to check for configuration or feature changes that may affect your deployment; always test in a non-production environment first

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

Fix this in Fortios Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2019-6697 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