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FortianalyzerApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2023-41838

HIGH · 7.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-10-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 7.2.3 or later.
See remediation →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 FortiManager 7.4.0 and 7.2.0 through 7.2.3 may allow attacker to execute unauthorized code or commands via FortiManager 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 · high confidence

FortiManager versions 7.4.0 and 7.2.0 through 7.2.3 contain an OS command injection vulnerability in the CLI interface. Due to improper neutralization of special elements, an attacker can execute unauthorized code or commands on the underlying operating system through the FortiManager CLI.

MitigationUpgrade FortiManager to version 7.4.1 or 7.2.4 or later to remediate this vulnerability.

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
FortianalyzerApplication
Affected:>= 6.2.0, <= 6.2.11>= 6.4.0, <= 6.4.12>= 7.0.0, <= 7.0.8>= 7.2.0, <= 7.2.3= 7.4.0
FortimanagerApplication
Affected:>= 6.2.0, <= 6.2.11>= 6.4.0, <= 6.4.12>= 7.0.0, <= 7.0.8>= 7.2.0, <= 7.2.3= 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
None
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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. Identify installed FortiManager version
    Run the command 'get system status' in the FortiManager CLI or check the FortiManager web UI under Dashboard > Status to view the firmware version
    Affected if The version falls within these ranges: 6.2.0-6.2.11, 6.4.0-6.4.12, 7.0.0-7.0.8, 7.2.0-7.2.3, or 7.4.0
  2. Identify installed FortiAnalyzer version
    Run the command 'get system status' in the FortiAnalyzer CLI or check the FortiAnalyzer web UI under Dashboard > Status to view the firmware version if FortiAnalyzer is deployed
    Affected if The version falls within these ranges: 6.2.0-6.2.11, 6.4.0-6.4.12, 7.0.0-7.0.8, 7.2.0-7.2.3, or 7.4.0
  3. Confirm CLI interface is accessible
    Verify that SSH, console, or GUI CLI access is enabled by checking the system interface configuration via 'show system interface' or reviewing admin user settings with 'get system admin user' in the CLI
    Affected if CLI access (SSH, console, or GUI console) is enabled and reachable on the device management interface
  4. Review administrative user privileges
    Run 'get system admin user' in the CLI to list all admin accounts and their profile assignments, noting which users have 'super_admin' or 'admin' profiles that can access the CLI
    Affected if Multiple admin accounts exist with CLI access privileges, especially remote authentication users (LDAP/RADIUS) with write-access profiles

You are affected if your FortiManager or FortiAnalyzer version is 7.4.0 or between 7.2.0-7.2.3, or between 7.0.0-7.0.8, or between 6.4.0-6.4.12, or between 6.2.0-6.2.11, AND the CLI interface is accessible to authorized or compromised administrative users.

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 7.2.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade FortiManager to version 7.4.1 or 7.2.4 or later to remediate this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

FortiManager/Fortianalyzer 7.2.4 or later (7.2.x branch); alternatively 7.0.9+, 6.4.13+, or 6.2.12+ depending on current branch

  1. 1. Identify the current FortiManager/Fortianalyzer version by running: get system status or checking the device GUI dashboard
  2. 2. For FortiManager: upgrade to version 7.2.4 or later (recommended: 7.2.4 or newer in the 7.2 branch)
  3. 3. For Fortianalyzer: upgrade to version 7.2.4 or later (recommended: 7.2.4 or newer in the 7.2 branch)
  4. 4. If running 7.0.x versions, upgrade to 7.0.9 or later
  5. 5. If running 6.4.x versions, upgrade to 6.4.13 or later
  6. 6. If running 6.2.x versions, upgrade to 6.2.12 or later
  7. 7. Download the firmware from Fortinet Customer Support portal (https://support.fortinet.com)
  8. 8. Upload and install the firmware via FortiManager/Fortianalyzer GUI: System > Firmware > Upgrade, or via CLI: execute restore image
Caveat Review Fortinet release notes for the target version for any configuration or feature changes that may affect your deployment; major version upgrades (e.g., 6.x to 7.x) may have breaking changes

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

Fix this in Fortianalyzer Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,120
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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-2023-41838 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
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