CVE-2023-45583
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 · uneditedA 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 confidenceA 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.
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< 7.0.12> 7.2.0, < 7.2.6>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.3>= 7.2.0, < 7.2.3< 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>= 1.0.0, <= 1.0.3= 1.1.0CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the Fortinet productRun 'get system status' via CLI or check the management interface to determine if the device is running FortiOS, FortiProxy, FortiPAM, or FortiSwitchManagerAffected if The device runs any of these four products
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Determine FortiOS versionExecute 'get system status' or 'diagnose sys status' in the CLI and note the Firmware version fieldAffected 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
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Determine FortiProxy versionExecute 'get system status' or 'diagnose sys status' in the CLI and note the Firmware version fieldAffected if Version is < 7.0.12, or > 7.2.0 and < 7.2.6
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Determine FortiSwitchManager versionExecute 'get system status' or check the management GUI for the firmware versionAffected if Version is >= 7.0.0 and < 7.0.3, or >= 7.2.0 and < 7.2.3
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Determine FortiPAM versionExecute 'get system status' or check the management GUI for the firmware versionAffected if Version is >= 1.0.0 through <= 1.0.3, or exactly 1.1.0
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Check management interface exposureReview firewall rules and access policies to determine if CLI (port 22/TCP) or HTTP/HTTPS management interfaces (ports 80/443) are reachable from untrusted networksAffected 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.
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 · scoped7.0.37.0.127.2.3
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.
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. Identify the currently installed Fortinet product and version using 'get system status' or similar CLI command
- 2. Determine which product family applies (FortiOS, FortiProxy, FortiSwitchManager, or FortiPAM)
- 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. For FortiProxy: upgrade to version 7.0.12 or later, OR version 7.2.6 or later
- 5. For FortiSwitchManager: upgrade to version 7.0.3 or later, OR version 7.2.3 or later
- 6. For FortiPAM: upgrade to version 1.2.0 or later
- 7. Download the firmware from Fortinet support portal (support.fortinet.com)
- 8. Upload and install the firmware via GUI or CLI using 'execute firmware upgrade' command
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck 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 sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-45583 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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