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FortinacApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2022-39954

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-02-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.2.0 / 9.4.2 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
An improper restriction of xml external entity reference in Fortinet FortiNAC version 9.4.0 through 9.4.1, FortiNAC version 9.2.0 through 9.2.7, FortiNAC version 9.1.0 through 9.1.8, FortiNAC version 8.8.0 through 8.8.11, FortiNAC version 8.7.0 through 8.7.6, FortiNAC version 8.6.0 through 8.6.5, FortiNAC version 8.5.0 through 8.5.4, FortiNAC version 8.3.7 allows attacker to read arbitrary files or trigger a denial of service via specifically crafted XML documents.

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

FortiNAC contains an XML External Entity (XXE) injection vulnerability due to improper restriction of XML external entity references. An unauthenticated attacker can send specifically crafted XML documents to the affected system to read arbitrary files from the underlying filesystem or trigger a denial of service condition.

MitigationUpgrade FortiNAC to the latest patched version released by Fortinet. If immediate patching is not possible, consider disabling XML processing or implementing XML input validation at upstream network devices.

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
FortinacApplication
Affected:>= 8.3.7, <= 9.2.7>= 9.4.0, < 9.4.2
Fortinac FApplication
Affected:< 7.2.0

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
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H

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 FortiNAC version via CLI
    Log into the FortiNAC CLI and run the command to display system version information (typically 'fnsysctl get system status' or 'get system status' depending on the model). Record the displayed version number.
    Affected if The displayed version falls within 8.3.7 through 9.2.7, or 9.4.0 through 9.4.1, or is below 7.2.0 for FortiNAC F models.
  2. Identify FortiNAC version via GUI
    Log into the FortiNAC web interface and navigate to the System Settings or Dashboard section to view the firmware/software version.
    Affected if The displayed version falls within the vulnerable ranges listed above.
  3. Verify XML parser is enabled
    Confirm that the XML parsing functionality is active on the FortiNAC system. This is typically enabled by default for the web interface and administrative interfaces that accept XML input.
    Affected if The XML parsing feature is available on the system (default state for most FortiNAC installations).
  4. Check for exposed management interfaces
    Determine if the FortiNAC management interface (port 8080, 8443, or the administrative web UI) is exposed to untrusted networks. Review network access control lists or firewall rules.
    Affected if The administrative XML endpoints are reachable from untrusted networks without additional filtering.

The system is affected if it runs FortiNAC version 8.3.7-9.2.7, 9.4.0-9.4.1, or FortiNAC F below 7.2.0, and its XML interface is network-accessible to attackers.

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 7.2.0 / 9.4.2 or later
Fixed in 7.2.09.4.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade FortiNAC to the latest patched version released by Fortinet. If immediate patching is not possible, consider disabling XML processing or implementing XML input validation at upstream network devices.

Recommended fix High confidence

FortiNAC: upgrade to 9.4.2 or later (or latest 9.x stable release); FortiNAC F: upgrade to 7.2.0 or later

  1. Identify the currently installed FortiNAC version by checking the system information or using the CLI command: diagnose system version
  2. For FortiNAC (non-F version): If running version 9.4.0 or 9.4.1, upgrade to version 9.4.2 or later
  3. For FortiNAC (non-F version): If running version 8.3.7 through 9.2.7, upgrade to version 9.4.2 or later (or the latest supported 9.x release)
  4. For FortiNAC F: If running version lower than 7.2.0, upgrade to version 7.2.0 or later
  5. Schedule the upgrade during a maintenance window as FortiNAC upgrades may require system restart
  6. After upgrade, verify the new version is installed using: diagnose system version
  7. Test that the XML parsing functionality still works correctly after the patch
Caveat Review FortiNAC release notes for any breaking changes between current and target version; major version upgrades may require configuration migration

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

Fix this in Fortinac Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,840
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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-2022-39954 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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