dbcve.org
FortiadcApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2022-35851

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-11-02
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable

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 during web page generation vulnerability [CWE-79] in FortiADC management interface 7.1.0 may allow a remote and authenticated attacker to trigger a stored cross site scripting (XSS) attack via configuring a specially crafted IP Address.

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 FortiADC management interface version 7.1.0 allows an authenticated remote attacker to inject malicious JavaScript via a specially crafted IP Address configuration. The payload is stored and executed when other authenticated users view the affected interface.

MitigationUpgrade FortiADC to a patched version beyond 7.1.0. Additionally, limit management interface access to trusted networks and implement strict least-privilege access controls for administrative accounts.

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
FortiadcApplication
Affected:= 7.1.0

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
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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. Identify the FortiADC version
    Log into the FortiADC management interface and navigate to System > Settings > Administration > Firmware or use the CLI command 'get system status' to retrieve the installed firmware version.
    Affected if The displayed version is exactly 7.1.0
  2. Verify management interface accessibility
    Confirm that the FortiADC web management interface (HTTPS on port 443 or configured admin port) is reachable from your network. Check firewall rules and interface bindings.
    Affected if The management interface is exposed to network segments where untrusted users could authenticate.
  3. Inspect IP Address configuration for suspicious content
    Navigate to Network > Interface or the IP Address configuration section in the management UI. Review any static IP address entries or alias configurations for unexpected JavaScript code patterns.
    Affected if Any IP Address configuration field contains encoded or raw JavaScript payloads such as <script> tags, event handlers, or suspicious URL-encoded characters.
  4. Audit administrative user sessions
    Use the FortiADC CLI command 'execute log show' or review system logs for any anomalous administrative sessions originating from unexpected IP addresses or containing XSS patterns in the login payload.
    Affected if Logs reveal authentication attempts or configuration changes containing XSS-like patterns in IP address fields.

A defender is affected if their FortiADC version is exactly 7.1.0 and the management interface is accessible, particularly if IP Address configuration fields contain any stored JavaScript content that could execute for other users.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade FortiADC to a patched version beyond 7.1.0. Additionally, limit management interface access to trusted networks and implement strict least-privilege access controls for administrative accounts.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to a FortiADC version higher than 7.1.0 that contains the security patch for CVE-2022-35851 (consult Fortinet advisory for exact fixed version)

  1. 1. Identify the current FortiADC version running in your environment (7.1.0)
  2. 2. Access Fortinet's FortiADC support portal at https://www.fortinet.com/support/
  3. 3. Navigate to the firmware downloads section for FortiADC
  4. 4. Download and review the release notes for versions higher than 7.1.0 to identify the security fix release
  5. 5. In a non-production environment, test the upgrade to ensure compatibility
  6. 6. Schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade
  7. 7. Backup the current FortiADC configuration
  8. 8. Upgrade to the fixed release identified in Fortinet's advisory
Caveat Review release notes for any configuration or feature changes between 7.1.0 and the target version before upgrading

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

Fix this in Fortiadc Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
Get help mitigating

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 locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-35851 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2022-35851 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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