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FortimanagerApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2023-42791

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-02-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.2.12 / 6.4.13 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 relative path traversal in Fortinet FortiManager version 7.4.0 and 7.2.0 through 7.2.3 and 7.0.0 through 7.0.8 and 6.4.0 through 6.4.12 and 6.2.0 through 6.2.11 allows attacker to execute unauthorized code or commands via 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 relative path traversal vulnerability in FortiManager allows attackers to manipulate file paths in HTTP requests to access unauthorized resources and ultimately execute arbitrary code or commands on the affected system. The vulnerability is exploitable over the network without authentication, making it particularly dangerous for externally-facing FortiManager deployments.

MitigationApply the appropriate FortiManager firmware patch (7.4.1, 7.2.4, 7.0.9, 6.4.13, or 6.2.12 or later) to address the path traversal vulnerability. If patching is immediately impossible, restrict network access to FortiManager management interfaces to trusted IP addresses only.

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
FortimanagerApplication
Affected:>= 6.2.0, < 6.2.12>= 6.4.0, < 6.4.13>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.9>= 7.2.0, < 7.2.4= 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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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. Determine FortiManager firmware version
    Run `get system status` command via FortiManager CLI or check the version displayed in the web UI login page footer
    Affected if The displayed version falls within these ranges: 6.2.0 to 6.2.11, 6.4.0 to 6.4.12, 7.0.0 to 7.0.8, 7.2.0 to 7.2.3, or exactly 7.4.0
  2. Identify exposed management interfaces
    Review network configuration via `show system interface` CLI command and check firewall policies to determine if port HTTP(80) or HTTPS(443) on management interfaces is reachable from untrusted networks
    Affected if The HTTP/HTTPS management interface is accessible from external or untrusted networks (not restricted by source IP ACLs)
  3. Review authentication settings for mgmt interface
    Run `show system global` and inspect the `set admin-sport` or management interface access settings to confirm HTTP access is enabled
    Affected if HTTP or HTTPS management access is enabled on an interface reachable from untrusted networks

You are affected if your FortiManager version is 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 AND the management interface is exposed to untrusted network sources.

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 6.2.12 / 6.4.13 / 7.0.9 or later
Fixed in 6.2.126.4.137.0.9
Interim mitigation

Apply the appropriate FortiManager firmware patch (7.4.1, 7.2.4, 7.0.9, 6.4.13, or 6.2.12 or later) to address the path traversal vulnerability. If patching is immediately impossible, restrict network access to FortiManager management interfaces to trusted IP addresses only.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to the minimum fixed version for your branch: 6.2.12, 6.4.13, 7.0.9, 7.2.4, or 7.4.1 (or later stable releases)

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed FortiManager version using the CLI command: get system status
  2. 2. Based on your current version branch, plan upgrade to the minimum fixed version: For 6.2.x branch upgrade to 6.2.12 or later; For 6.4.x branch upgrade to 6.4.13 or later; For 7.0.x branch upgrade to 7.0.9 or later; For 7.2.x branch upgrade to 7.2.4 or later; For 7.4.x branch upgrade to 7.4.1 or later
  3. 3. Backup FortiManager configuration using: execute backup config tftp/ftp/scp <filename > <server>
  4. 4. Review FortiManager upgrade guide and release notes for your target version at docs.fortinet.com
  5. 5. Perform upgrade via GUI: System > Firmware > Upload firmware, or via CLI: execute system firmware-upgrade <image-file> tftp/ftp <server>
  6. 6. After upgrade, verify the new version is running: get system status
  7. 7. Verify the vulnerability is remediated by confirming the fixed version is installed
Caveat Standard FortiManager upgrade precautions apply - ensure configuration backup before upgrading and test in staging environment first

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

Fix this in Fortimanager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,900
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,040.

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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-2023-42791 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