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FortiwebApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2023-25602

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-02-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.9.2 / 6.0.8 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 stack-based buffer overflow in Fortinet FortiWeb 6.4 all versions, FortiWeb versions 6.3.17 and earlier, FortiWeb versions 6.2.6 and earlier, FortiWeb versions 6.1.2 and earlier, FortiWeb versions 6.0.7 and earlier, FortiWeb versions 5.9.1 and earlier, FortiWeb 5.8 all versions, FortiWeb 5.7 all versions, FortiWeb 5.6 all versions allows attacker to execute unauthorized code or commands via specially crafted command arguments.

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 stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in FortiWeb's handling of command arguments, allowing attackers to overflow a stack-allocated buffer and overwrite return addresses to achieve arbitrary code execution. The flaw is triggered by supplying specially crafted, oversized arguments to specific commands within the FortiWeb management interface.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patches for all affected FortiWeb versions (upgrade to 6.4.1+, 6.3.18+, 6.2.7+, 6.1.3+, 6.0.8+, 5.9.2+, or later versions as applicable) to remediate this vulnerability.

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:>= 5.6.0, < 5.9.2>= 6.0.0, < 6.0.8>= 6.1.0, < 6.1.3>= 6.2.0, < 6.2.7>= 6.3.0, < 6.3.18>= 6.4.0, <= 6.4.2

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. Check FortiWeb firmware version
    Run `get system status` via FortiWeb CLI or check the firmware version displayed in the web UI under Dashboard > Status
    Affected if The version falls within any of these ranges: 5.6.0-5.9.1, 6.0.0-6.0.7, 6.1.0-6.1.2, 6.2.0-6.2.6, 6.3.0-6.3.17, or 6.4.0-6.4.2
  2. Verify management interface exposure
    Confirm whether the FortiWeb management interface (HTTP/HTTPS on port 443 or 80) is accessible from network segments outside the trusted administrative zone
    Affected if The management interface is exposed to untrusted networks and the firmware version is in the affected range
  3. Check for unusual administrative activity
    Review FortiWeb logs and audit trails for commands with unusually long argument lengths or unexpected command invocations, particularly in CLI or API access logs
    Affected if Logs show commands with oversized arguments that deviate from normal administrative patterns

You are affected if your FortiWeb firmware version is 5.6.0 through 5.9.1, 6.0.0 through 6.0.7, 6.1.0 through 6.1.2, 6.2.0 through 6.2.6, 6.3.0 through 6.3.17, or 6.4.0 through 6.4.2 and the management interface is accessible to potential 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 5.9.2 / 6.0.8 / 6.1.3 or later
Fixed in 5.9.26.0.86.1.3
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patches for all affected FortiWeb versions (upgrade to 6.4.1+, 6.3.18+, 6.2.7+, 6.1.3+, 6.0.8+, 5.9.2+, or later versions as applicable) to remediate this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to 5.9.2 (for 5.x), 6.0.8 (for 6.0.x), 6.1.3 (for 6.1.x), 6.2.7 (for 6.2.x), 6.3.18 or later (for 6.3.x), or 6.4.x or later (for 6.4.x)

  1. 1. Identify the current FortiWeb version by navigating to System > FortiWeb UI > Dashboard or using 'get system status' CLI command
  2. 2. Determine the appropriate upgrade path based on current version (5.x, 6.0.x, 6.1.x, or 6.2.x)
  3. 3. Backup the FortiWeb configuration using 'execute backup config' CLI command or via Web UI
  4. 4. Download the appropriate firmware from Fortinet Customer Support portal or FortiGuard based on version: 5.9.2 for 5.x, 6.0.8 for 6.0.x, 6.1.3 for 6.1.x, 6.2.7 for 6.2.x, 6.3.18 or later for 6.3.x, 6.4.x or later for 6.4.x
  5. 5. Upload the firmware file via System > Firmware > Upload or 'execute firmware import' CLI command
  6. 6. Verify firmware integrity and install the upgrade
  7. 7. Reboot the device and verify all services are operational
  8. 8. Confirm the fix by checking the version with 'get system status'
Caveat Review release notes for major version jumps (e.g., 5.x to 6.x) as configuration migration may be required; 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
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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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-2023-25602 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