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FortiwebApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2023-23784

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-02-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.3.21 / 7.0.3 or later.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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 relative path traversal in Fortinet FortiWeb version 7.0.0 through 7.0.2, FortiWeb version 6.3.6 through 6.3.20, FortiWeb 6.4 all versions allows attacker to information disclosure via specially crafted web requests.

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 · moderate confidence

Relative path traversal vulnerability in FortiWeb allows attackers to access files outside the web root through specially crafted requests using relative path sequences (e.g., ../), resulting in information disclosure of sensitive system files.

MitigationUpgrade to patched FortiWeb version outside the affected ranges (7.0.0-7.0.2, 6.3.6-6.3.20, 6.4.x) or apply vendor-supplied patch; implement strict input validation on file path parameters.

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:>= 6.3.6, < 6.3.21>= 6.4.0, <= 6.4.2>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.3

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 FortiWeb installed version
    Log into the FortiWeb CLI and run the command: `get system status` or access the web UI and check System > Status to view the firmware version.
    Affected if The version displayed matches one of the affected ranges: 6.3.6 through 6.3.20, 6.4.0 through 6.4.2, or 7.0.0 through 7.0.2.
  2. Verify FortiWeb web service is enabled
    In the FortiWeb web UI, go to System > Configuration > Administration > System Administration, or use CLI: `get system interface` to confirm the management or HTTP/HTTPS interfaces are configured and enabled.
    Affected if The web UI or API interface is accessible and processing requests, as the path traversal flaw exists in how FortiWeb handles web requests.
  3. Check for exposure of web interface
    Determine if the FortiWeb management interface or any protected web applications are reachable from network segments. Review interface bindings via `show system interface` in CLI.
    Affected if The web interface is externally accessible or reachable from untrusted networks, creating an attack vector for the path traversal.
  4. Review web traffic logs for suspicious path patterns
    In FortiWeb, go to Log & Report > Traffic Log or use CLI: `execute log filter category traffic` and search for requests containing '../' or encoded path traversal sequences.
    Affected if Log entries show attempted or successful use of relative path sequences (../) in URL parameters, indicating exploitation attempts.

You are affected if your FortiWeb version falls within 6.3.6-6.3.20, 6.4.0-6.4.2, or 7.0.0-7.0.2 and the web interface is accessible to handle incoming requests.

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 6.3.21 / 7.0.3 or later
Fixed in 6.3.217.0.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to patched FortiWeb version outside the affected ranges (7.0.0-7.0.2, 6.3.6-6.3.20, 6.4.x) or apply vendor-supplied patch; implement strict input validation on file path parameters.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to FortiWeb 6.3.21, 6.4.3, or 7.0.3 (or later respective releases)

  1. 1. Identify current FortiWeb version using the Web UI (System > Status) or CLI: 'get system status'
  2. 2. Back up current FortiWeb configuration via Web UI (System > Maintenance > Backup & Restore) or CLI: 'execute backup full-config'
  3. 3. Download the appropriate firmware image from Fortinet Customer Support portal for your branch: 6.3.21 or later for 6.3.x, 6.4.3 or later for 6.4.x, or 7.0.3 or later for 7.0.x
  4. 4. In FortiWeb Web UI, navigate to System > Maintenance > Firmware
  5. 5. Select the new firmware file and initiate the upgrade
  6. 6. After reboot, verify the new version is installed: 'get system status'
  7. 7. Confirm the configuration was preserved and test critical functionality
Caveat Review Fortinet release notes for your target version for any configuration or behavioral 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
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2023-23784 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