FortiadcApplication · Fortinet
CVE-2023-27999
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 · uneditedAn improper neutralization of special elements used in an OS command vulnerability [CWE-78] in FortiADC 7.2.0, 7.1.0 through 7.1.1 may allow an authenticated attacker to execute unauthorized commands via specifically crafted arguments to existing 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 command injection vulnerability (CWE-78) in FortiADC versions 7.2.0 and 7.1.0-7.1.1 allows authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary OS commands by providing specially crafted arguments to existing commands. The vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of special elements in user-supplied input that gets passed to underlying OS command execution.
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
>= 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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the FortiADC software versionAccess the FortiADC CLI or web UI and locate the system version information. In the CLI, this is typically shown via 'get system status' or available through the web GUI under Dashboard > System Information.Affected if The installed version is 7.1.0 through 7.1.1 (inclusive), or exactly version 7.2.0.
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Verify management interface accessibilityDetermine if the FortiADC management interface (HTTP/HTTPS for web UI or SSH for CLI) is reachable from networks other than trusted administrative networks.Affected if The management interface is exposed to untrusted networks, increasing the likelihood of credential compromise.
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Review admin user accounts and recent authentication activityCheck the FortiADC logs and admin user configuration for any unauthorized or unexpected admin accounts, and review authentication logs for login attempts from unfamiliar IP addresses.Affected if Unexpected admin accounts exist or authentication attempts from unknown sources are present, suggesting potential credential theft.
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Inspect system logs for suspicious command executionExamine FortiADC system logs, command history, and audit logs for any commands containing unusual characters (such as semicolons, pipes, backticks, or $() constructs) that could indicate command injection attempts.Affected if Logs show commands with special shell metacharacters or commands that were not initiated by legitimate administrators.
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Correlate with network security monitoringReview network traffic logs or IDS/IPS alerts for any outbound connections from the FortiADC device to unexpected external IP addresses, which could indicate successful command injection leading to callback behavior.Affected if The device has initiated unauthorized outbound connections or network communications not initiated by legitimate administrative actions.
A user is affected if their FortiADC version falls within 7.1.0-7.1.1 or equals 7.2.0 AND an attacker with valid admin credentials could potentially exploit the command injection flaw.
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
Apply the vendor-supplied patch or upgrade to a fixed FortiADC version. Since this requires authentication, also enforce least-privilege access controls and monitor for unauthorized command execution attempts.
FortiADC 7.1.2 or later for 7.1.x; FortiADC 7.2.1 or later for 7.2.0
- 1. Log into the FortiADC management interface or CLI.
- 2. Backup the current configuration using the backup function in System > Maintenance > Backup & Restore.
- 3. Navigate to System > Firmware or use the CLI command 'execute firmware upgrade' to check for available firmware updates.
- 4. Download FortiADC firmware version 7.1.2 or later for systems running 7.1.0-7.1.1, or version 7.2.1 or later for systems running 7.2.0.
- 5. Upload the firmware image to the FortiADC device.
- 6. Follow the upgrade procedure to install the firmware - this may require a reboot.
- 7. After upgrade, verify the system is operational and confirm the firmware version via 'get system status' in CLI or the web UI.
- 8. Restore the configuration backup if needed and verify all services are functioning correctly.
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
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,616.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-27999 — 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-2023-27999 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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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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