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FortiadcApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2023-26205

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-11-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 7.0.5 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 improper access control vulnerability [CWE-284] in FortiADC automation feature 7.1.0 through 7.1.2, 7.0 all versions, 6.2 all versions, 6.1 all versions may allow an authenticated low-privileged attacker to escalate their privileges to super_admin via a specific crafted configuration of fabric automation CLI script.

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

FortiADC's fabric automation feature contains an improper access control vulnerability allowing authenticated low-privilege users to escalate to super_admin through crafted CLI script configurations. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of user privileges when processing automation scripts in versions 7.1.0-7.1.2, 7.0, 6.2, and 6.1.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied patches for FortiADC that address this privilege escalation in the automation feature, and review user role configurations to ensure low-privileged accounts cannot modify automation settings.

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
FortiadcApplication
Affected:>= 6.1.0, <= 6.1.6>= 6.2.0, <= 6.2.6>= 7.0.0, <= 7.0.5= 7.1.0= 7.1.1= 7.1.2

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
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 FortiADC version
    Run 'get system status' via CLI or check the web UI dashboard for the firmware version number
    Affected if The version falls within 6.1.0-6.1.6, 6.2.0-6.2.6, 7.0.0-7.0.5, 7.1.0-7.1.2 (specifically 7.1.0, 7.1.1, or 7.1.2)
  2. Verify Fabric Automation feature is enabled
    Run 'get system fabric' or check the automation configuration via 'show system automation' in the CLI
    Affected if The automation or fabric automation feature is enabled on the device
  3. Review user account roles and privileges
    Run 'get system user' or 'show system user' to list all local users and their assigned profiles
    Affected if There are users assigned to profiles other than 'super_admin' (such as 'admin' or custom profiles with limited privileges)
  4. Inspect automation stitch/trigger configurations
    Run 'show system automation stitch' and 'show system automation trigger' to list all automation configurations
    Affected if Any automation stitches or triggers exist, especially those configured by non-super_admin users

A user is affected if the FortiADC version is within the listed ranges AND the Fabric Automation feature is enabled AND there are non-super_admin users with access to automation configuration.

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 a release after 7.0.5
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied patches for FortiADC that address this privilege escalation in the automation feature, and review user role configurations to ensure low-privileged accounts cannot modify automation settings.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

FortiADC 7.1.2 or later (for 7.x users); FortiADC 7.0.6 or later (for 7.0.x users); FortiADC 6.2.7 or later (for 6.2.x users); FortiADC 6.1.7 or later (for 6.1.x users)

  1. 1. Identify the currently deployed FortiADC version using the web UI (System > Dashboard > Status) or CLI: `get system status`
  2. 2. Based on the affected version range, plan upgrade to FortiADC 7.1.2 or later (7.1.2 is the first fixed release mentioned in the official description)
  3. 3. Backup the current FortiADC configuration via CLI: `execute backup config tftp <config_name> <tftp_server_ip>` or via web UI (System > Maintenance > Backup & Restore)
  4. 4. Download the firmware upgrade file from Fortinet support portal (support.fortinet.com)
  5. 5. Upload the firmware via web UI (System > Firmware > Upload) or CLI: `execute upload firmware tftp <filename> <tftp_server_ip>`
  6. 6. After upload completes, reboot the device to apply the new firmware: `execute reboot`
  7. 7. Verify the upgrade was successful and the new version is running: `get system status`
  8. 8. Review user accounts and automation scripts to ensure no unauthorized privilege escalation occurred
Caveat Review release notes for the target version for any configuration or behavioral changes before upgrading

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

Fix this in Fortiadc 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
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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-2023-26205 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