Fortinet urges to patch the critical RCE flaw CVE-2023
Vulnerabilities mentionedAll →
| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Flags | Affected | Exposure | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2022-40684 | Admin-Interface Auth Bypass in Fortinet FortiOS, FortiProxy & FortiSwitchManager Fortinet's FortiOS, FortiProxy, and FortiSwitchManager contain an authentication bypass vulnerability (CWE-288) that lets an unauthenticated remote attacker gain access to the administrative interface. It is triggered by sending specially crafted HTTP or HTTPS requests directly to the admin interface, with no credentials or exploit code required. By bypassing authentication, an attacker can perform administrative operations on the device, such as modifying configuration or creating privileged accounts. Any organization running the affected products is exposed, particularly where the management interface is reachable from the internet. The flaw is being actively exploited: it was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-10-11 with known ransomware use, and EPSS assigns it roughly a 100% probability of exploitation within 30 days, although no public PoC is known. Do: Upgrade FortiOS, FortiProxy, and FortiSwitchManager to the fixed releases identified in Fortinet's advisory per the KEV required action. As mitigation, restrict access to the admin interface (e.g., disable WAN-facing management and use local-in policies or allow-lists for management IPs). Review admin logs and device configuration for signs of unauthorized access, such as unexpected admin accounts, added SSH keys, or config changes. | 9.8 | 100% | KEV ransomware PoC ×2 |
| massHundreds of thousands of internet-exposed Fortinet admin interfaces (~300k+ exposed FortiGate/FortiProxy management interfaces observed in public scans around… | |
| CVE-2023-27997 | Pre-Auth Heap Buffer Overflow RCE in Fortinet FortiOS/FortiProxy SSL-VPN CVE-2023-27997 is a heap-based buffer overflow (CWE-122, with associated out-of-bounds write CWE-787) in the SSL-VPN component of Fortinet FortiOS and FortiProxy, reachable by unauthenticated users. A remote attacker can trigger it with specially crafted requests to the SSL-VPN web interface, gaining the ability to execute arbitrary code or commands on the gateway. Full control of an edge VPN/firewall appliance enables credential theft, session hijacking, and pivoting into the protected network, which makes the bug attractive to ransomware operators. Any organization exposing the SSL-VPN portal on the affected FortiOS builds (7.2.4 and below, 7.0.11 and below, 6.4.12 and below, 6.0.16 and below) or FortiProxy builds (7.2.3 and below, 7.0.9 and below, 2.0.12 and below, and 1.1/1.2 all versions) is potentially exposed. The flaw is under active exploitation: CISA added it to the KEV on 2023-06-13 with known ransomware use, EPSS estimates an ~86% probability of exploitation within 30 days (100th percentile), and reporting indicates it was likely being exploited in the wild, with Fortinet also warning that some attackers retained access to FortiGate devices even after patching. Do: Apply Fortinet's updates to all SSL-VPN-enabled FortiOS and FortiProxy appliances as required by the CISA KEV listing, upgrading each affected branch beyond the listed versions (end-of-life FortiProxy 1.1/1.2 requires migration to a supported release); if SSL-VPN is not needed, disable the web portal or restrict it to trusted source addresses. After patching, hunt for signs of compromise and rotate credentials and VPN-related secrets, since Fortinet warned that some attackers retained access to FortiGate devices post-patching. | 9.8 | 86% | KEV ransomware |
| masson the order of several hundred thousand internet-exposed SSL-VPN endpoints (≈300k–500k per public scans) |
Full article477 words · extracted from securityaffairs.com · click to collapse
Fortinet addressed a new critical flaw, tracked as CVE-2023-27997, in FortiOS and FortiProxy that is likely exploited in a limited number of attacks.
Fortinet has finally published an official advisory about the critical vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2023-27997 (CVSS score: 9.2), impacting FortiOS and FortiProxy.
“A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability [CWE-122] in FortiOS and FortiProxy SSL-VPN may allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code or commands via specifically crafted requests.” reads the advisory.
The vulnerability is a heap-based buffer overflow issue and according to the vendor it may have been exploited in a limited number of attacks aimed at government, manufacturing, and critical infrastructure sectors.
“Our investigation found that one issue (FG-IR-23-097) may have been exploited in a limited number of cases and we are working closely with customers to monitor the situation.” states the report published by Fortinet. “For this reason, if the customer has SSL-VPN enabled, Fortinet is advising customers to take immediate action to upgrade to the most recent firmware release. If the customer is not operating SSL-VPN the risk of this issue is mitigated – however, Fortinet still recommends upgrading.”
A remote attacker can trigger the vulnerability to execute arbitrary code or commands by sending specifically crafted requests to vulnerable devices.
The vulnerability was reported to Fortinet by the researcher Charles Fol and Dany Bach (DDXhunter) from Lexfo Security. The researcher describes the issue as a reachable pre-authentication that impacts every SSL VPN appliance.
The issue impacts at least:
FortiOS-6K7K version 7.0.10
FortiOS-6K7K version 7.0.5
FortiOS-6K7K version 6.4.12
FortiOS-6K7K version 6.4.10
FortiOS-6K7K version 6.4.8
FortiOS-6K7K version 6.4.6
FortiOS-6K7K version 6.4.2
FortiOS-6K7K version 6.2.9 through 6.2.13
FortiOS-6K7K version 6.2.6 through 6.2.7
FortiOS-6K7K version 6.2.4
FortiOS-6K7K version 6.0.12 through 6.0.16
FortiOS-6K7K version 6.0.10
At least
FortiProxy version 7.2.0 through 7.2.3
FortiProxy version 7.0.0 through 7.0.9
FortiProxy version 2.0.0 through 2.0.12
FortiProxy 1.2 all versions
FortiProxy 1.1 all versions
At least
FortiOS version 7.2.0 through 7.2.4
FortiOS version 7.0.0 through 7.0.11
FortiOS version 6.4.0 through 6.4.12
FortiOS version 6.2.0 through 6.2.13
FortiOS version 6.0.0 through 6.0.16
BleepingComputer reported that searching for Fortigate firewalls exposed online there are more than 250K installs worldwide, most of them in the US.
The company is not explicitly linking the FG-IR-23-097 to the Volt Typhoon campaign, however, Fortinet believes that all threat actors, including the Volt Typhoon APT, can start exploiting the above issue.
Fortinet urges customers to immediately patch their installs.
Below are the actions recommended by the company:
- Review your systems for evidence of exploit of previous vulnerabilities e.g. FG-IR-22-377 / CVE-2022-40684
- Maintain good cyber hygiene and follow vendor patching recommendations
- Follow hardening recommendations, e.g., FortiOS 7.2.0 Hardening Guide
- Minimize the attack surface by disabling unused features and managing devices via an out-of-band method wherever possible
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(SecurityAffairs – hacking, CVE-2023-27997)
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