dbcve.org
FortiwebApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2023-23782

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-02-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.3.20 / 7.0.2 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
A heap-based buffer overflow in Fortinet FortiWeb version 7.0.0 through 7.0.1, FortiWeb version 6.3.0 through 6.3.19, FortiWeb 6.4 all versions, FortiWeb 6.2 all versions, FortiWeb 6.1 all versions allows attacker to escalation of privilege via specifically crafted arguments to existing commands.

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 heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in FortiWeb allows an authenticated attacker to escalate privileges by supplying specifically crafted arguments to existing administrative commands. The overflow occurs in heap memory, potentially enabling arbitrary code execution at elevated privilege levels.

MitigationApply Fortinet's patched FortiWeb versions (7.0.2+, 6.3.20+, or later stable releases) as specified in Fortinet advisory FG-IR-23-067. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict administrative CLI access to trusted personnel and networks.

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
FortiwebApplication
Affected:>= 6.0.0, <= 6.2.7>= 6.3.0, < 6.3.20>= 6.4.0, <= 6.4.2>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.2

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/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. Identify FortiWeb version
    Run the command 'get system status' in the FortiWeb CLI or check System > Firmware in the web UI to view the installed FortiWeb version.
    Affected if The installed version falls within 6.0.0-6.2.7, 6.3.0-6.3.19, 6.4.0-6.4.2, or 7.0.0-7.0.1.
  2. Verify administrative CLI access configuration
    Run 'show system admin' in FortiWeb CLI to list administrative accounts, or review System > Administrator in the web UI.
    Affected if Administrative accounts exist and CLI access is permitted, especially for non-essential users.
  3. Check for unexpected administrative users
    Review the output from 'get system admin' and compare against known legitimate administrators. Look for unfamiliar accounts or recent account modifications.
    Affected if Unknown administrative accounts are present or account modifications occurred unexpectedly.
  4. Audit recent CLI command logs
    Run 'execute log backup' to export logs, then review administrative command execution history for suspicious privileged commands.
    Affected if Privileged administrative commands were executed by accounts that should not have had those permissions.

You are affected if your FortiWeb version is 6.0.0-6.2.7, 6.3.0-6.3.19, 6.4.0-6.4.2, or 7.0.0-7.0.1 and you have administrative CLI accounts enabled.

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 6.3.20 / 7.0.2 or later
Fixed in 6.3.207.0.2
Interim mitigation

Apply Fortinet's patched FortiWeb versions (7.0.2+, 6.3.20+, or later stable releases) as specified in Fortinet advisory FG-IR-23-067. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict administrative CLI access to trusted personnel and networks.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to FortiWeb 6.2.8+, 6.3.20+, 6.4.3+, or 7.0.2+ (whichever version branch applies)

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed FortiWeb version using: execute system version or via the Web UI under Dashboard > Status
  2. 2. Determine which version branch your current installation belongs to (6.0.x-6.2.x, 6.3.x, 6.4.x, or 7.0.x)
  3. 3. For FortiWeb 6.0.0-6.2.7: Upgrade to version 6.2.8 or later
  4. 4. For FortiWeb 6.3.0-6.3.19: Upgrade to version 6.3.20 or later
  5. 5. For FortiWeb 6.4.0-6.4.2: Upgrade to version 6.4.3 or later
  6. 6. For FortiWeb 7.0.0-7.0.1: Upgrade to version 7.0.2 or later
  7. 7. Download the firmware from Fortinet Customer Support Portal or FortiGuard
  8. 8. Upload and install the firmware via FortiWeb Web UI (System > Maintenance > Firmware) or CLI: execute restore system firmware
Caveat Review FortiWeb release notes for version-specific changes before upgrading; test in non-production environment first

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

Fix this in Fortiweb Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-23782 — 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-2023-23782 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