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FortiapApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2023-25608

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-09-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.4.5 / 6.2.6 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
An incomplete filtering of one or more instances of special elements vulnerability [CWE-792] in the command line interpreter of FortiAP-W2 7.2.0 through 7.2.1, 7.0.3 through 7.0.5, 7.0.0 through 7.0.1, 6.4 all versions, 6.2 all versions, 6.0 all versions; FortiAP-C 5.4.0 through 5.4.4, 5.2 all versions; FortiAP 7.2.0 through 7.2.1, 7.0.0 through 7.0.5, 6.4 all versions, 6.0 all versions; FortiAP-U 7.0.0, 6.2.0 through 6.2.5, 6.0 all versions, 5.4 all versions may allow an authenticated attacker to read arbitrary files 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

This is a command line interpreter vulnerability in FortiAP firmware (FortiAP-W2, FortiAP-C, FortiAP, FortiAP-U) where incomplete filtering of special elements (CWE-792) allows an authenticated attacker to read arbitrary files on the device by providing specially crafted command arguments. The attacker needs valid authentication credentials to exploit this, but can then traverse the file system beyond intended boundaries.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied firmware patch from Fortinet when available. In the interim, restrict administrative access to the CLI to trusted users only and limit network exposure of management interfaces.

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
FortiapApplication
Affected:>= 6.0.0, < 7.0.6>= 7.2.0, < 7.2.2
Fortiap CApplication
Affected:>= 5.2.0, < 5.4.5
Fortiap UApplication
Affected:>= 5.4.0, < 6.2.6= 7.0.0
Fortiap W2Application
Affected:>= 6.0.0, <= 7.0.1>= 7.0.3, < 7.0.6>= 7.2.0, < 7.2.2

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
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 FortiAP device model
    Log into FortiAP CLI or check FortiController/FortiGate managed AP inventory to confirm the exact model (FortiAP, FortiAP-C, FortiAP-U, or FortiAP-W2)
    Affected if The device is any of these four FortiAP model families
  2. Check FortiAP firmware version
    Run 'get system status' or 'fwctrl -l' in FortiAP CLI, or view version via FortiGate wireless controller under WiFi Controllers > Managed FortiAP
    Affected if The version number cannot be determined or is in the affected ranges
  3. Verify CLI authentication method
    Check if CLI access is enabled and accessible via SSH, console, or FortiGate AP management interface. Review user accounts with CLI/SSH access privileges.
    Affected if CLI access is enabled and usable with any administrative account
  4. Compare version against affected ranges
    For FortiAP: compare version to >=6.0.0,<7.0.6 or >=7.2.0,<7.2.2. For FortiAP-C: >=5.2.0,<5.4.5. For FortiAP-U: >=5.4.0,<6.2.6 or =7.0.0. For FortiAP-W2: >=6.0.0,<=7.0.1 or >=7.0.3,<7.0.6 or >=7.2.0,<7.2.2
    Affected if Installed version matches any of these ranges

You are affected if you run FortiAP, FortiAP-C, FortiAP-U, or FortiAP-W2 firmware within the specified version ranges AND have CLI access exposed to any authenticated user.

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 5.4.5 / 6.2.6 / 7.0.6 or later
Fixed in 5.4.56.2.67.0.6
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied firmware patch from Fortinet when available. In the interim, restrict administrative access to the CLI to trusted users only and limit network exposure of management interfaces.

Recommended fix High confidence

FortiAP: 7.0.6 or 7.2.2+ | FortiAP-C: 5.4.5+ | FortiAP-U: 6.2.6+ | FortiAP-W2: 7.0.6 or 7.2.2+

  1. 1. Identify the exact FortiAP model (FortiAP, FortiAP-C, FortiAP-U, or FortiAP-W2) currently deployed
  2. 2. Check the current firmware version via FortiAP CLI (get system status) or FortiGate wireless controller GUI
  3. 3. For FortiAP: upgrade to version 7.0.6 or later, or 7.2.2 or later
  4. 4. For FortiAP-C: upgrade to version 5.4.5 or later
  5. 5. For FortiAP-U: upgrade to version 6.2.6 or later (excluding 7.0.0 which is also vulnerable)
  6. 6. For FortiAP-W2: upgrade to version 7.0.6 or later, or 7.2.2 or later
  7. 7. Download the appropriate firmware from Fortinet support portal (support.fortinet.com)
  8. 8. Upload firmware to FortiGate controller managing the FortiAP units
Caveat Review FortiAP release notes for any configuration changes between current and target versions; firmware upgrades may cause brief connectivity interruption to wireless clients

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

Fix this in Fortiap Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,970
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2023-25608 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
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