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FortiosOperating system · Fortinet

CVE-2023-29179

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-02-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.4.13 / 7.0.11 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
A null pointer dereference in Fortinet FortiOS version 7.2.0 through 7.2.4, 7.0.0 through 7.0.11, 6.4.0 through 6.4.12, Fortiproxy version 7.2.0 through 7.2.4, 7.0.0 through 7.0.10 allows attacker to denial of service via specially crafted HTTP requests.

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 null pointer dereference vulnerability in FortiOS and Fortiproxy allows remote attackers to cause denial of service by sending specially crafted HTTP requests. The vulnerability exists in multiple version branches (7.2.0-7.2.4, 7.0.x, 6.4.x) and triggers when the software attempts to access memory through an uninitialized or null pointer during HTTP request processing.

MitigationUpgrade FortiOS to version 7.2.5 or later (7.0.12+, 6.4.13+) and Fortiproxy to version 7.2.5 or later (7.0.11+) per Fortinet's advisory. As interim protection, restrict HTTP access to management interfaces via firewall rules or VPN.

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
FortiosOperating system
Affected:>= 6.4.0, < 6.4.13>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.12>= 7.2.0, < 7.2.5
FortiproxyApplication
Affected:>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.11>= 7.2.0, < 7.2.5

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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 the Fortinet product
    Determine if the target device is running FortiOS or FortiProxy. In the CLI, use `get system status` to see the product name and model information.
    Affected if The device is confirmed to be either FortiOS or FortiProxy.
  2. Check the FortiOS version
    Run `get system status` or `show system version` in the FortiOS CLI. Note the firmware version number displayed (for example: 7.2.3 or 6.4.5).
    Affected if Running FortiOS with version matching: >= 6.4.0 and < 6.4.13, OR >= 7.0.0 and < 7.0.12, OR >= 7.2.0 and < 7.2.5.
  3. Check the FortiProxy version
    Run `get system status` or `show system version` in the FortiProxy CLI. Note the firmware version number displayed.
    Affected if Running FortiProxy with version matching: >= 7.0.0 and < 7.0.11, OR >= 7.2.0 and < 7.2.5.
  4. Verify HTTP management is accessible
    Confirm whether the HTTP management interface or proxy service is exposed to untrusted networks. Check firewall policies and interface settings that allow HTTP traffic to the device.
    Affected if HTTP services are reachable from external networks without restriction.

You are affected if your FortiOS or FortiProxy version falls within any of the vulnerable ranges AND HTTP management or proxy services are 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 6.4.13 / 7.0.11 / 7.0.12 or later
Fixed in 6.4.137.0.117.0.12
Interim mitigation

Upgrade FortiOS to version 7.2.5 or later (7.0.12+, 6.4.13+) and Fortiproxy to version 7.2.5 or later (7.0.11+) per Fortinet's advisory. As interim protection, restrict HTTP access to management interfaces via firewall rules or VPN.

Recommended fix High confidence

FortiOS: upgrade to 6.4.13, 7.0.12, or 7.2.5 (and later); Fortiproxy: upgrade to 7.0.11 or 7.2.5 (and later)

  1. 1. Identify the current FortiOS or Fortiproxy version running on the device using 'get system status' or 'diagnose sys vm list' commands.
  2. 2. Determine which version branch (6.4.x, 7.0.x, or 7.2.x) is currently in use.
  3. 3. Download the appropriate fixed firmware version from Fortinet's support portal: For FortiOS 6.4.x, upgrade to 6.4.13 or later; For FortiOS 7.0.x, upgrade to 7.0.12 or later; For FortiOS 7.2.x, upgrade to 7.2.5 or later; For Fortiproxy 7.0.x, upgrade to 7.0.11 or later; For Fortiproxy 7.2.x, upgrade to 7.2.5 or later.
  4. 4. Upload the firmware file to the Fortinet device via GUI (System > Firmware) or CLI ('execute firmware upload').
  5. 5. Backup the current configuration using 'execute backup config' before upgrading.
  6. 6. Initiate the firmware upgrade and allow the device to reboot.
  7. 7. After reboot, verify the new version is installed using 'get system status' and confirm the vulnerability is resolved.
Caveat Standard Fortinet firmware upgrades may have behavioral changes; review release notes for the target version before upgrading

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

Fix this in Fortios Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,800
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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-2023-29179 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data