Critical RCE Flaw Discovered in Fortinet FortiGate Firewalls
Vulnerabilities mentionedAll →
| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Flags | Affected | Exposure | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) |
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Ravie LakshmananJun 12, 2023Vulnerability / Network Security
Fortinet has released patches to address a critical security flaw in its FortiGate firewalls that could be abused by a threat actor to achieve remote code execution.
The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2023-27997, is "reachable pre-authentication, on every SSL VPN appliance," Lexfo Security researcher Charles Fol, who discovered and reported the flaw alongside Dany Bach, said in a tweet over the weekend.
Details about the security flaw are currently withheld and Fortinet is yet to release an advisory, although the network security company is expected to publish more details in the coming days.
French cybersecurity company Olympe Cyberdefense, in an independent alert, said the issue has been patched in versions 6.2.15, 6.4.13, 7.0.12, and 7.2.5.
"The flaw would allow a hostile agent to interfere via the VPN, even if the MFA is activated," the firm noted.
With Fortinet flaws emerging as a lucrative attack vector for threat actors in recent years, it's highly recommended that users move quickly to apply the fixes as soon as possible to mitigate potential risks.
The development comes as Cisco and VMware released updates to address severe vulnerabilities affecting Expressway Series and TelePresence Video Communication Server (VCS) and Aria Operations for Networks, respectively, that could lead to privilege escalation and code execution.
Update
Fortinet shared the following statement with The Hacker News after the publication of the story -
Timely and ongoing communications with our customers is a key component in our efforts to best protect and secure their organization. There are instances where confidential advance customer communications can include early warning on Advisories to enable customers to further strengthen their security posture, prior to the Advisory being publicly released to a broader audience. This process follows best practices for responsible disclosure to ensure our customers have the timely information they need to help them make informed risk-based decisions. For more on Fortinet's responsible disclosure process, visit the Fortinet Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) page: https://www.fortiguard.com/psirt_policy.
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