FortiadcApplication · Fortinet
CVE-2023-27993
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 · uneditedA relative path traversal [CWE-23] in Fortinet FortiADC version 7.2.0 and before 7.1.1 allows a privileged attacker to delete arbitrary directories from the underlying file system via crafted CLI 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 confidenceA relative path traversal vulnerability in FortiADC's CLI allows authenticated privileged attackers to delete arbitrary directories by using path traversal sequences (../) in crafted CLI commands, potentially leading to denial of service or further system compromise.
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
>= 5.2.0, <= 7.0.5>= 7.1.0, < 7.1.2= 7.2.0CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify FortiADC CLI versionLog into the FortiADC CLI and run the command: get system status or execute: show system versionAffected if The displayed version falls within >= 5.2.0 and <= 7.0.5, OR >= 7.1.0 and < 7.1.2, OR equals 7.2.0
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Verify CLI access methodCheck if the CLI is exposed via console, SSH, or telnet by reviewing network access controls and listening servicesAffected if CLI is accessible via network (SSH/telnet) rather than only local console access
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Review privileged administrative accountsUse the command: get admin user to list all administrative users with their privilege levelsAffected if Multiple privileged administrative accounts exist with write access to the system
A FortiADC system is affected if its version falls within the ranges 5.2.0-7.0.5, 7.1.0-7.1.2, or 7.2.0 AND the CLI is accessible to authenticated privileged users.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped7.1.2
Upgrade FortiADC to version 7.1.1 or later (or latest patched version) to remediate this vulnerability. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict CLI access to trusted administrative users only.
FortiADC 7.1.2 or later (or 7.2.1+ if available)
- 1. Identify the current FortiADC version by running: get system status or diag sys version
- 2. For versions 5.2.0 through 7.0.5: Plan upgrade to version 7.1.2 or later
- 3. For versions 7.1.0 through 7.1.1: Plan upgrade to version 7.1.2 or later
- 4. For version 7.2.0: Plan upgrade to version 7.2.1 or later (if available) or 7.1.2+
- 5. Before upgrading, backup the current configuration using: execute backup config tftp <config-name> <tftp-server-ip>
- 6. Perform the firmware upgrade via GUI (System > Firmware > Upgrade) or CLI: execute restore image tftp <file-name> <tftp-server-ip>
- 7. After upgrade, verify the fix by confirming the version matches a fixed release and testing that path traversal attempts are blocked
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Fortiadc
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-27993 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-27993 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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