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FortinacApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2023-22637

CRITICAL · 9.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-05-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.4.3 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability [CWE-79] in FortiNAC-F version 7.2.0, FortiNAC version 9.4.2 and below, 9.2 all versions, 9.1 all versions, 8.8 all versions, 8.7 all versions in License Management would permit an authenticated attacker to trigger remote code execution via crafted licenses.

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

An improper neutralization of input during web page generation (XSS) vulnerability in FortiNAC's License Management component allows authenticated attackers to inject malicious scripts via crafted license files, potentially achieving remote code execution.

MitigationApply vendor patches for affected FortiNAC versions (7.2.0, 9.4.2 and below, 9.2.x, 9.1.x, 8.8.x, 8.7.x); implement strict input validation and output encoding in License Management functionality.

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:>= 8.7.0, < 9.4.3
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
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/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. Confirm FortiNAC installation
    Identify if Fortinet FortiNAC or FortiNAC F is deployed in your environment. Check for FortiNAC services, web interfaces on common ports (443, 8080), or installation directories.
    Affected if FortiNAC or FortiNAC F software is present
  2. Determine installed FortiNAC version
    Access the FortiNAC web UI, typically at /ng or /admin, and navigate to the dashboard or system settings to view the software version. Alternatively, use CLI command 'get system status' or 'version' to retrieve the version number.
    Affected if Version is 7.2.0, OR version is >= 8.7.0 AND < 9.4.3
  3. Verify License Management component is accessible
    Log into the FortiNAC web interface and navigate to the License Management or License section under System or Administration menus. Check if this component is present and accessible to authenticated users.
    Affected if License Management interface is accessible and enabled
  4. Review license file configurations
    Inspect any custom or imported license files in the FortiNAC configuration. Look for license entries that may contain non-standard or unexpected characters in license keys, hostnames, or licensee information fields.
    Affected if Non-standard characters or unexpected data found in license file entries

Your environment is affected if FortiNAC or FortiNAC F is installed with version 7.2.0 or any version >= 8.7.0 but below 9.4.3, and the License Management component is accessible to authenticated 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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 9.4.3 or later
Fixed in 9.4.3
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor patches for affected FortiNAC versions (7.2.0, 9.4.2 and below, 9.2.x, 9.1.x, 8.8.x, 8.7.x); implement strict input validation and output encoding in License Management functionality.

Recommended fix High confidence

FortiNAC: upgrade to version 9.4.3 or later | FortiNAC-F: upgrade to the latest available patch for version 7.2.x

  1. 1. Back up the current FortiNAC configuration and ensure a recovery plan is in place.
  2. 2. Download FortiNAC version 9.4.3 or later from the Fortinet support portal.
  3. 3. Upload the firmware to the FortiNAC appliance or virtual machine.
  4. 4. Initiate the firmware upgrade process following Fortinet's standard upgrade procedure.
  5. 5. Verify the upgrade was successful by logging into the FortiNAC management interface.
  6. 6. Confirm the License Management functionality works correctly after upgrade.
Caveat Review Fortinet's release notes for 9.4.3 for any configuration or behavioral changes that may affect your deployment

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

Fix this in Fortinac Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing10.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
36.0 hours of engineering $6,300
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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-2023-22637 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