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FortiswitchOperating system · Fortinet

CVE-2023-37937

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-01-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.2.8 / 6.4.14 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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 neutralization of special elements used in an os command ('os command injection') in Fortinet FortiSwitch version 7.4.0 and 7.2.0 through 7.2.5 and 7.0.0 through 7.0.7 and 6.4.0 through 6.4.13 and 6.2.0 through 6.2.7 and 6.0.0 through 6.0.7 allows attacker to execute unauthorized code or commands via the FortiSwitch CLI.

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

FortiSwitch CLI contains an OS command injection vulnerability (CWE-78) allowing authenticated attackers to inject and execute arbitrary operating system commands on the affected device. The flaw exists in the CLI interface and affects versions 6.0.x through 7.4.x across multiple branch releases.

MitigationApply Fortinet's patches for this vulnerability - upgrade to the vendor-specified fixed versions. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict CLI access to trusted management networks and enforce strong authentication to limit attack surface.

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
FortiswitchOperating system
Affected:>= 6.0.0, < 6.2.8>= 6.4.0, < 6.4.14>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.8>= 7.2.0, < 7.2.6= 7.4.0

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check FortiSwitch firmware version
    Log into the FortiSwitch CLI and run: `get system status` or `show system firmware`. Look for the version number in the output.
    Affected if The version shown falls within any of these ranges: 6.0.0 through 6.2.7, 6.4.0 through 6.4.13, 7.0.0 through 7.0.7, 7.2.0 through 7.2.5, or exactly 7.4.0.
  2. Verify CLI access method configuration
    In FortiSwitch CLI, run: `get system interface` to list network interfaces, then check if management interfaces allow SSH access. Run `show system global` to review global admin access settings.
    Affected if SSH/Telnet access is enabled on any interface that is reachable from untrusted networks.
  3. Review admin user accounts and access restrictions
    Run `get system admin` to list admin accounts. Check for overly permissive access or unnecessary accounts with administrative privileges.
    Affected if Multiple admin accounts exist, especially with weak or shared passwords, or without IP access restrictions.
  4. Check management access policies
    Run `get system management` or review the management access configuration to see which IPs/networks are permitted for CLI access.
    Affected if Management access is permitted from any IP address (0.0.0.0/0) or from networks outside the trusted management network.

You are affected if your FortiSwitch runs a firmware version matching any of the vulnerable ranges AND the CLI interface is accessible to authenticated users, particularly from untrusted networks.

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 6.2.8 / 6.4.14 / 7.0.8 or later
Fixed in 6.2.86.4.147.0.8
Interim mitigation

Apply Fortinet's patches for this vulnerability - upgrade to the vendor-specified fixed versions. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict CLI access to trusted management networks and enforce strong authentication to limit attack surface.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to FortiSwitch 6.2.8 or later (6.0.x branch), 6.4.14 or later (6.4.x branch), 7.0.8 or later (7.0.x branch), 7.2.6 or later (7.2.x branch), or 7.4.1 or later (7.4.x branch)

  1. 1. Identify the current FortiSwitch firmware version by running: get system status
  2. 2. Determine which version branch (6.0.x, 6.4.x, 7.0.x, 7.2.x, or 7.4.x) the device is running
  3. 3. Review the FortiSwitch Upgrade Guide for your model to ensure compatibility: https://docs.fortinet.com/upgrade/
  4. 4. Download the appropriate fixed version firmware from Fortinet Customer Support: https://support.fortinet.com/
  5. 5. Upload the firmware to the FortiSwitch via the management interface or SCP
  6. 6. Execute the firmware upgrade with the command: execute firmware upgrade <image_file>
  7. 7. After reboot, verify the new version is installed and the vulnerability is resolved: get system status
Caveat Review FortiSwitch Release Notes for each major version upgrade to check for configuration changes, supported features, and any required migration steps between branches

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

Fix this in Fortiswitch Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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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-2023-37937 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