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FortimailApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2023-45582

HIGH · 7.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-11-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 7.2.4 or later.
See remediation →
82/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 restriction of excessive authentication attempts vulnerability [CWE-307] in FortiMail webmail version 7.2.0 through 7.2.4, 7.0.0 through 7.0.6 and before 6.4.8 may allow an unauthenticated attacker to  perform a brute force attack on the affected endpoints via repeated login attempts.

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

FortiMail webmail versions 7.2.0-7.2.4, 7.0.0-7.0.6, and before 6.4.8 fail to properly restrict excessive authentication attempts, allowing unauthenticated attackers to perform brute force attacks via repeated login attempts to the affected endpoints.

MitigationImplement account lockout policies, rate limiting, or CAPTCHA mechanisms on the webmail login endpoints to prevent brute force attacks; alternatively, upgrade to a patched FortiMail version.

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
FortimailApplication
Affected:>= 6.2.0, <= 6.2.9>= 6.4.0, <= 6.4.8>= 7.0.0, <= 7.0.6>= 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
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
Low

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

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 FortiMail installation and version
    Access the FortiMail CLI or admin console and run the command to check the firmware version (e.g., 'get system status' or 'diagnose system version' in CLI). Alternatively, check the webmail login page for version disclosure or review the system dashboard.
    Affected if The installed version falls within 6.2.0-6.2.9, 6.4.0-6.4.8, 7.0.0-7.0.6, 7.2.0-7.2.4, or 7.4.0.
  2. Confirm webmail interface is enabled
    Check FortiMail configuration for webmail service status. In CLI, use 'show system interface' or check the webmail profile settings. Verify the webmail service is listening on ports 443 or 80.
    Affected if Webmail is enabled and accessible over the network.
  3. Check authentication rate limiting configuration
    In FortiMail CLI, run 'get system global' or 'show system global' to review authentication-related settings. Specifically look for 'auth-timeout', 'max-auth-retries', or similar rate limiting parameters.
    Affected if No rate limiting or account lockout thresholds are configured, or excessive retry limits are set (e.g., unlimited retries allowed).
  4. Review brute force protection policies
    In FortiMail admin GUI, navigate to Profile > IP Policy or Security > Brute Force settings. In CLI, use 'show ip-policy' or check 'spammer' and 'relay' profiles for authentication controls.
    Affected if No brute force protection or account lockout policy is defined for webmail login endpoints.

You are affected if FortiMail webmail is enabled and running a version within the affected ranges (6.2.0-6.2.9, 6.4.0-6.4.8, 7.0.0-7.0.6, 7.2.0-7.2.4, or 7.4.0) without rate limiting or account lockout policies configured.

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 7.2.4
Interim mitigation

Implement account lockout policies, rate limiting, or CAPTCHA mechanisms on the webmail login endpoints to prevent brute force attacks; alternatively, upgrade to a patched FortiMail version.

Recommended fix High confidence

FortiMail 7.4.0 or latest stable 7.x release; alternatively 6.4.9+, 7.0.7+, or 7.2.5+ depending on your branch

  1. 1. Identify the current FortiMail version by navigating to the FortiMail web GUI or checking the CLI with 'get system status'
  2. 2. Based on the current installed version, plan the upgrade to a fixed release: for 6.2.x upgrade to 6.2.10 or later; for 6.4.x upgrade to 6.4.9 or later; for 7.0.x upgrade to 7.0.7 or later; for 7.2.x upgrade to 7.2.5 or later
  3. 3. Download the appropriate firmware image from Fortinet's support portal (support.fortinet.com) or FortiGuard
  4. 4. Before upgrading, backup the FortiMail configuration via the web GUI (System > Maintenance > Configuration) or CLI with 'execute backup config tftp <filename> <tftp-server>'
  5. 5. Review FortiMail release notes for the target version to confirm no incompatible changes for your deployment
  6. 6. Upload the firmware via FortiMail web GUI (System > Maintenance > Firmware) or CLI with 'execute upload firmware tftp <filename> <tftp-server>'
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify the new version is running with 'get system status'
  8. 8. Confirm the vulnerability is remediated by verifying login attempt rate limiting is now enforced on the webmail login endpoint
Caveat Review the FortiMail release notes for your target version for any configuration or feature changes; major version upgrades (e.g., 6.x to 7.x) may require migration planning

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

Fix this in Fortimail Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2023-45582 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data