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FortiproxyApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2023-44250

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-01-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
An improper privilege management vulnerability [CWE-269] in a Fortinet FortiOS HA cluster version 7.4.0 through 7.4.1 and 7.2.5 and in a FortiProxy HA cluster version 7.4.0 through 7.4.1 allows an authenticated attacker to perform elevated actions via crafted 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

This is a CWE-269 improper privilege management vulnerability in FortiOS and FortiProxy HA cluster implementations. An authenticated attacker with regular user access can send crafted HTTP/HTTPS requests to perform actions beyond their assigned privilege level, effectively escalating privileges within the HA cluster environment.

MitigationUpdate FortiOS to a patched version (contact Fortinet for specific patch availability) and review user role assignments in the HA cluster configuration.

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
Affected:= 7.4.0= 7.4.1
FortiosOperating system
Affected:= 7.2.5= 7.4.0= 7.4.1

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. Identify FortiOS or FortiProxy version
    Run 'get system status' in the FortiOS CLI or check the web UI under System > Firmware. Record the exact version number displayed (for example: 7.4.0, 7.4.1, or 7.2.5).
    Affected if The version matches 7.2.5, 7.4.0, or 7.4.1 for FortiOS, or 7.4.0 or 7.4.1 for FortiProxy.
  2. Determine if HA cluster is enabled
    Run 'get system ha status' in the CLI or check the configuration with 'show system ha'. Look for mode information (active-passive, active-active) and confirm the cluster is actually running.
    Affected if HA cluster mode is active-passive or active-active and the cluster is operational.
  3. Verify HA cluster configuration details
    Run 'show system cluster-acceleration' and review the HA configuration for any custom privilege assignments. Check if the HA heartbeat and synchronization are configured.
    Affected if HA cluster synchronization is active and regular (non-admin) user accounts exist in the cluster environment.
  4. Review user privilege assignments in HA context
    Run 'get system admin user' and cross-reference with 'show system ha' to see which privilege levels are assigned to users who would access the HA cluster members.
    Affected if Non-admin or reduced-privilege users have access to the HA cluster members.

You are affected if your FortiOS version is 7.2.5, 7.4.0, or 7.4.1 (or FortiProxy is 7.4.0 or 7.4.1) AND you have an HA cluster configured with non-privileged user accounts accessing it.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update FortiOS to a patched version (contact Fortinet for specific patch availability) and review user role assignments in the HA cluster configuration.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

FortiOS 7.4.2+ or 7.2.6+; FortiProxy 7.4.2+

  1. Identify the currently installed FortiOS or FortiProxy version by running 'get system status' or 'get system info'
  2. For FortiOS 7.4.x: Upgrade to FortiOS 7.4.2 or later
  3. For FortiOS 7.2.x: Upgrade to FortiOS 7.2.6 or later
  4. For FortiProxy 7.4.x: Upgrade to FortiProxy 7.4.2 or later
  5. After upgrade, verify the new version is installed with 'get system status'
  6. Test HA cluster functionality to ensure the upgrade did not disrupt cluster operations
Caveat Review Fortinet release notes for 7.4.2/7.2.6/7.4.2 for any configuration or feature changes that may affect your deployment

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

Fix this in Fortiproxy 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
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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-2023-44250 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