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FortiproxyApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2023-47536

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-12-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 7.2.3 or later.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 access control vulnerability [CWE-284] in FortiOS version 7.2.0, version 7.0.13 and below, version 6.4.14 and below and FortiProxy version 7.2.3 and below, version 7.0.9 and below, version 2.0.12 and below may allow a remote unauthenticated attacker to bypass the firewall deny geolocalisation policy via timing the bypass with a GeoIP database update.

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 timing-based access control bypass in FortiOS and FortiProxy allows unauthenticated remote attackers to circumvent firewall deny geolocation policies by exploiting the window when the GeoIP database is being updated, potentially permitting traffic from blocked regions to pass through.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patches for FortiOS and FortiProxy to address the GeoIP database update timing vulnerability, and verify that geolocation-based firewall policies correctly block traffic from restricted regions after the update.

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:>= 2.0.0, <= 2.0.12>= 7.0.0, <= 7.0.9>= 7.2.0, <= 7.2.3
FortiosOperating system
Affected:>= 6.4.0, <= 6.4.14>= 7.0.0, <= 7.0.13= 7.2.0

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
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

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

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 installed FortiOS version
    Run CLI command 'get system status' or check System Information widget in web UI to view the firmware version
    Affected if Version falls within >= 6.4.0 to <= 6.4.14, >= 7.0.0 to <= 7.0.13, or equals 7.2.0
  2. Determine installed FortiProxy version
    Run CLI command 'get system status' or check System Information widget in web UI to view the firmware version
    Affected if Version falls within >= 2.0.0 to <= 2.0.12, >= 7.0.0 to <= 7.0.9, or >= 7.2.0 to <= 7.2.3
  3. Check if geolocation firewall policies exist
    In FortiOS/FortiProxy web UI, navigate to Policy & Objects > Firewall Policy and review policies with Destination or Source configured using GeoIP-based address objects, or run 'show firewall policy' in CLI to list all policies
    Affected if Any firewall policy explicitly uses geolocation-based address objects to permit or deny traffic based on country or region
  4. Verify GeoIP database configuration and update schedule
    In web UI, go to System > FortiGuard > GeoIP and Anti-Spam, or run CLI command 'get system fortiguard' to view GeoIP database settings and last update time
    Affected if GeoIP database is configured with automatic updates and policies reference geolocation-based blocking

A system is affected if it runs a vulnerable FortiOS or FortiProxy version AND has firewall policies that rely on geolocation blocking, because the timing window during GeoIP database updates could allow traffic from blocked regions to pass through.

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 7.2.3
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patches for FortiOS and FortiProxy to address the GeoIP database update timing vulnerability, and verify that geolocation-based firewall policies correctly block traffic from restricted regions after the update.

Recommended fix High confidence

FortiOS: 6.4.15+, 7.0.14+, 7.2.1+ | FortiProxy: 2.0.13+, 7.0.10+, 7.2.4+

  1. 1. Identify the currently running FortiOS or FortiProxy version using 'get system status' or 'fnsysctl get system status'
  2. 2. For FortiOS 6.4.x: Schedule upgrade to version 6.4.15 or later
  3. 3. For FortiOS 7.0.x: Schedule upgrade to version 7.0.14 or later
  4. 4. For FortiOS 7.2.x: Schedule upgrade to version 7.2.1 or later
  5. 5. For FortiProxy 2.0.x: Schedule upgrade to version 2.0.13 or later
  6. 6. For FortiProxy 7.0.x: Schedule upgrade to version 7.0.10 or later
  7. 7. For FortiProxy 7.2.x: Schedule upgrade to version 7.2.4 or later
  8. 8. Download the appropriate firmware from Fortinet support portal or FortiGuard
Caveat Review Fortinet release notes for the target version for any configuration or behavioral changes that may affect existing policies

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

Fix this in Fortiproxy Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,480
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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-2023-47536 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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