FortiproxyApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2023-45583

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.0.3 / 7.0.12 or later.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
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 use of externally-controlled format string vulnerability in Fortinet FortiOS 7.4.0, FortiOS 7.2.0 through 7.2.5, FortiOS 7.0 all versions, FortiOS 6.4 all versions, FortiOS 6.2 all versions, FortiOS 6.0.0 through 6.0.16, FortiPAM 1.1.0, FortiPAM 1.0 all versions, FortiProxy 7.2.0 through 7.2.5, FortiProxy 7.0.0 through 7.0.11, FortiProxy 2.0 all versions, FortiProxy 1.2 all versions, FortiProxy 1.1 all versions, FortiProxy 1.0 all versions, FortiSwitchManager 7.2.0 through 7.2.2, FortiSwitchManager 7.0.0 through 7.0.2 allows attacker to execute unauthorized code or commands via specially crafted cli commands and 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 format string vulnerability in Fortinet FortiOS, FortiPAM, FortiProxy, and FortiSwitchManager allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via specially crafted CLI commands or HTTP requests by supplying user-controlled format specifiers that manipulate printf-style functions to read/write memory on the stack.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patches for FortiOS 7.2.6+, 7.4.1+, FortiProxy 7.2.6+, 7.0.12+, and corresponding FortiPAM/FortiSwitchManager updates. Restrict CLI and HTTP management interface access to trusted networks until patches are applied.

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:< 7.0.12> 7.2.0, < 7.2.6
FortiswitchmanagerApplication
Affected:>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.3>= 7.2.0, < 7.2.3
FortiosOperating system
Affected:< 7.2.6>= 6.2.0, <= 6.2.16>= 6.4.0, <= 6.4.15>= 7.0.0, <= 7.0.12>= 7.2.0, <= 7.2.5= 7.4.0
FortipamOperating system
Affected:>= 1.0.0, <= 1.0.3= 1.1.0

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/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 the Fortinet product
    Run 'get system status' via CLI or check the management interface to determine if the device is running FortiOS, FortiProxy, FortiPAM, or FortiSwitchManager
    Affected if The device runs any of these four products
  2. Determine FortiOS version
    Execute 'get system status' or 'diagnose sys status' in the CLI and note the Firmware version field
    Affected if Version is < 7.2.6, or >= 6.2.0 through <= 6.2.16, or >= 6.4.0 through <= 6.4.15, or >= 7.0.0 through <= 7.0.12, or >= 7.2.0 through <= 7.2.5, or exactly 7.4.0
  3. Determine FortiProxy version
    Execute 'get system status' or 'diagnose sys status' in the CLI and note the Firmware version field
    Affected if Version is < 7.0.12, or > 7.2.0 and < 7.2.6
  4. Determine FortiSwitchManager version
    Execute 'get system status' or check the management GUI for the firmware version
    Affected if Version is >= 7.0.0 and < 7.0.3, or >= 7.2.0 and < 7.2.3
  5. Determine FortiPAM version
    Execute 'get system status' or check the management GUI for the firmware version
    Affected if Version is >= 1.0.0 through <= 1.0.3, or exactly 1.1.0
  6. Check management interface exposure
    Review firewall rules and access policies to determine if CLI (port 22/TCP) or HTTP/HTTPS management interfaces (ports 80/443) are reachable from untrusted networks
    Affected if Management interfaces are exposed to untrusted networks and the version falls within affected ranges

The environment is affected if a Fortinet product (FortiOS, FortiProxy, FortiPAM, or FortiSwitchManager) is running a version within the specified affected ranges AND its management interfaces are accessible.

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 7.0.3 / 7.0.12 / 7.2.3 or later
Fixed in 7.0.37.0.127.2.3
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patches for FortiOS 7.2.6+, 7.4.1+, FortiProxy 7.2.6+, 7.0.12+, and corresponding FortiPAM/FortiSwitchManager updates. Restrict CLI and HTTP management interface access to trusted networks until patches are applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

FortiOS 7.2.6+ (or 7.4.0+); FortiProxy 7.0.12+ or 7.2.6+; FortiSwitchManager 7.0.3+ or 7.2.3+; FortiPAM 1.2.0+

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed Fortinet product and version using 'get system status' or similar CLI command
  2. 2. Determine which product family applies (FortiOS, FortiProxy, FortiSwitchManager, or FortiPAM)
  3. 3. For FortiOS: upgrade to version 7.2.6 or later (or 7.4.0+) for the 7.x line; for 6.x versions, contact Fortinet for patched releases as 6.x versions have reached EOL
  4. 4. For FortiProxy: upgrade to version 7.0.12 or later, OR version 7.2.6 or later
  5. 5. For FortiSwitchManager: upgrade to version 7.0.3 or later, OR version 7.2.3 or later
  6. 6. For FortiPAM: upgrade to version 1.2.0 or later
  7. 7. Download the firmware from Fortinet support portal (support.fortinet.com)
  8. 8. Upload and install the firmware via GUI or CLI using 'execute firmware upgrade' command
Caveat Upgrading across major version jumps (e.g., 6.x to 7.x) may require configuration review and testing; some legacy features may be deprecated

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
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-45583 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-45583 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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