FortiproxyApplication · Fortinet
CVE-2023-41677
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 insufficiently protected credentials in Fortinet FortiProxy 7.4.0, 7.2.0 through 7.2.6, 7.0.0 through 7.0.12, 2.0.0 through 2.0.13, 1.2.0 through 1.2.13, 1.1.0 through 1.1.6, 1.0.0 through 1.0.7, Fortinet FortiOS 7.4.0 through 7.4.1, 7.2.0 through 7.2.6, 7.0.0 through 7.0.12, 6.4.0 through 6.4.14, 6.2.0 through 6.2.15, 6.0.0 through 6.0.17 allows attacker to execute unauthorized code or commands via targeted social engineering attack
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 confidenceThis vulnerability involves insufficiently protected credentials in FortiProxy and FortiOS that, when combined with a targeted social engineering attack, allows attackers to execute unauthorized code or commands. The specific mechanism of credential exposure is not detailed in the advisory.
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
FortiproxyApplication
>= 1.0.0, < 7.0.14>= 7.2.0, < 7.2.8>= 7.4.0, < 7.4.2
FortiosOperating system
>= 6.0.0, < 6.2.16>= 6.4.0, < 6.4.15>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.13>= 7.2.0, < 7.2.7>= 7.4.0, < 7.4.2CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 product and current firmware versionRun 'get system status' or 'fortios -v' via CLI to display the FortiOS/FortiProxy version informationAffected if The displayed version falls within any of the affected ranges: FortiProxy < 7.0.14, 7.2.0-7.2.7, or 7.4.0-7.4.1; FortiOS < 6.2.16, 6.4.0-6.4.14, 7.0.0-7.0.12, 7.2.0-7.2.6, or 7.4.0-7.4.1
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Verify remote authentication configurationRun 'get system global | grep auth' and 'show system global' to inspect whether remote authentication (RADIUS, LDAP, or TACACS+) is configured for administrative accessAffected if Remote authentication is enabled and pointing to external servers that could be targeted for credential theft
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Check for unauthorized administrative accountsRun 'get system admin' to list all administrative users and review for accounts not created by your organizationAffected if Unexpected admin accounts exist or accounts show recent creation dates coinciding with the vulnerability disclosure window
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Review active administrative sessionsRun 'get system session list' or 'diagnose sys session list' to inspect active sessions for unknown source IPsAffected if Active sessions originate from unrecognized IP addresses, particularly if combined with version vulnerability
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Audit admin user last-login timestampsRun 'diagnose sys admin list' to review login history for administrative accountsAffected if Login records show authentication attempts from unusual locations or times that cannot be attributed to legitimate administrators
Your environment is affected if FortiOS or FortiProxy version falls within the affected ranges AND remote authentication or admin account exposure exists, enabling the credential theft vector required for exploitation
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 · scoped6.2.166.4.157.0.13
Apply the vendor-supplied patches for the affected FortiOS and FortiProxy versions (7.4.0-7.4.1, 7.2.0-7.2.6, 7.0.0-7.0.12, 6.4.0-6.4.14, 6.2.0-6.2.15, 6.0.0-6.0.17 for FortiOS; 7.4.0, 7.2.0-7.2.6, 7.0.0-7.0.12, 2.0.0-2.0.13, 1.2.0-1.2.13, 1.1.0-1.1.6, 1.0.0-1.0.7 for FortiProxy). Consider implementing additional social engineering awareness training given the attack vector requirement.
FortiOS: upgrade to 7.4.2, 7.2.7, 7.0.13, 6.4.15, or 6.2.16 depending on your branch | FortiProxy: upgrade to 7.4.2, 7.2.8, or 7.0.14 depending on your branch
- 1. Identify the current FortiOS or FortiProxy version by running: get system status or execute diagnose sys vm list
- 2. Based on your current major version branch, plan upgrade to the fixed release: For FortiOS 6.x upgrade to 6.4.15 or 7.0.13+ or 7.2.7+ or 7.4.2+; For FortiProxy 1.x/2.x upgrade to 7.0.14+; For FortiProxy 7.2.x upgrade to 7.2.8+; For FortiProxy 7.4.x upgrade to 7.4.2+
- 3. Back up the current FortiOS/FortiProxy configuration using: execute backup config flash or backup config tftp/ftp
- 4. Download the firmware upgrade file from Fortinet support portal (fortinet.com/support) matching your hardware model
- 5. Upload and install the firmware via GUI (System > Firmware) or CLI: execute system firmware-upgrade /var/firmware.img
- 6. Reboot the device after upgrade completes: execute reboot
- 7. Verify the upgrade by checking version: get system status and confirm version matches the fixed release
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Fortiproxy
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,488.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-41677 — 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-2023-41677 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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