dbcve.org
FortiadcApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2023-41673

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-12-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 7.0.5 or later.
See remediation →
60/100
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
An improper authorization vulnerability [CWE-285] in Fortinet FortiADC version 7.4.0 and before 7.2.2 may allow a low privileged user to read or backup the full system configuration via HTTP or HTTPS 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

FortiADC versions 7.4.0 and before 7.2.2 contain an improper authorization vulnerability (CWE-285) allowing low-privileged users to read or backup the full system configuration via HTTP/HTTPS requests. This horizontal privilege escalation enables authenticated users to access sensitive configuration data beyond their authorized scope.

MitigationUpgrade FortiADC to version 7.2.2 or later. Additionally, review and restrict user role permissions to enforce least privilege until the upgrade is applied.

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:>= 6.0.0, <= 6.0.4>= 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= 7.2.0= 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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N

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 firmware version
    Log into the FortiADC CLI and run 'get system status' or 'diagnose sys info' to retrieve the current firmware version. Alternatively, access the web UI and navigate to Dashboard > System Information to view the Firmware version displayed there.
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: 6.0.0-6.0.4, 6.1.0-6.1.6, 6.2.0-6.2.6, 7.0.0-7.0.5, 7.1.0-7.1.2, 7.2.0, or 7.4.0.
  2. Confirm web-based management interface is enabled
    In the FortiADC CLI, run 'get system interface' or 'show system interface' to list management interfaces. Verify that HTTP or HTTPS access is permitted on the management interface. In the web UI, check under System > Network > Interface for management access settings.
    Affected if HTTP or HTTPS management access is enabled on any interface, exposing the web UI to authenticated users.
  3. Verify presence of low-privileged user accounts
    In the CLI, run 'get admin user' or 'show system admin' to list administrator accounts and their profile assignments. In the web UI, navigate to System > Administrator to view user accounts and their assigned privilege levels.
    Affected if There exist user accounts with limited or read-only privilege profiles (such as guest, operator, or custom restricted roles) alongside administrative accounts.
  4. Test configuration backup access for non-administrative users
    Using a low-privileged user account, log into the web UI and attempt to access the configuration backup or full config read function (typically found under System > Config > Backup or CLI-based 'execute backup config' commands). Observe whether the user can retrieve the full system configuration despite limited privileges.
    Affected if A low-privileged (non-super_admin) user account can successfully read or download the complete system configuration, including sensitive parameters beyond their authorized scope.

You are affected if your FortiADC version is 7.4.0 or any version from 6.0.0 through 7.2.0 (excluding 7.2.2 and later), AND the HTTP/HTTPS management interface is accessible to authenticated users with limited privileges who can access configuration backup functions.

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

Upgrade FortiADC to version 7.2.2 or later. Additionally, review and restrict user role permissions to enforce least privilege until the upgrade is applied.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

FortiADC 7.2.2 or later (7.2.x/7.3.x latest), or 7.4.1 or later if using 7.4 branch

  1. 1. Identify the current FortiADC version by navigating to Dashboard > Status or using 'get system status' CLI command
  2. 2. Based on current version, determine the appropriate upgrade path: if on 6.0.x upgrade to 6.0.5+, if on 6.1.x upgrade to 6.1.7+, if on 6.2.x upgrade to 6.2.7+, if on 7.0.x upgrade to 7.0.6+, if on 7.1.x or 7.2.x upgrade to 7.2.2+, if on 7.3.x or 7.4.x upgrade to 7.4.1+
  3. 3. Download the firmware upgrade from Fortinet Customer Support portal (https://support.fortinet.com)
  4. 4. Backup the current configuration via CLI ('execute backup full-config') or Web UI
  5. 5. Upload and install the new firmware via Web UI (System > Firmware) or CLI ('execute system firmware upgrade <image>')
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade was successful and configuration is intact
  7. 7. Log in with the same low-privileged account and confirm they can no longer access full system configuration without proper authorization
Caveat Review release notes for any configuration syntax changes between major versions; test in non-production environment first

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
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-41673 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2023-41673 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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