CVE-2013-1414 in FortiOS
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in Fortinet FortiOS on FortiGate firewall devices before 4.3.13 and 5.x before 5.0.2 allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that modify (1) settings or (2) policies, or (3) restart the device via a rebootme action to system/maintenance/shutdown.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/15/2024
The CVE-2013-1414 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw affecting Fortinet FortiOS firmware versions prior to 4.3.13 and 5.x before 5.0.2 on FortiGate firewall devices. This vulnerability exists within the web-based administrative interface of these network security appliances, creating a significant attack surface that could be exploited by remote threat actors without requiring authentication credentials. The flaw stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF tokens in critical administrative operations, allowing malicious actors to craft forged requests that appear legitimate to the target device's authentication system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the fundamental weakness in the web application's session management and request validation mechanisms. When administrators perform administrative tasks through the web interface, the FortiOS firmware should validate that requests originate from legitimate administrative sessions and contain appropriate anti-CSRF tokens to prevent unauthorized operations. However, the vulnerable versions fail to properly implement these security controls, enabling attackers to manipulate the web interface through crafted HTTP requests. The three distinct attack vectors identified include modification of system settings, alteration of security policies, and execution of device reboot commands through the rebootme action within the system/maintenance/shutdown endpoint. This comprehensive scope of impact demonstrates the severity of the flaw, as it encompasses both configuration changes and operational device control capabilities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data manipulation, as it provides attackers with the ability to completely compromise the administrative control of network security appliances. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could gain unauthorized access to critical network security configurations, modify firewall rules to allow malicious traffic, or even cause denial of service through device reboots. The ability to perform administrative operations without proper authentication creates a pathway for attackers to establish persistent access to network infrastructure, potentially leading to complete network compromise. This vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and undermines the security model of the FortiGate devices, which are designed to protect network perimeters and enforce security policies.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with several tactics described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly those related to privilege escalation and persistence within network environments. Attackers could leverage this flaw to maintain long-term access to network infrastructure while remaining undetected, as the forged requests would appear to originate from legitimate administrative sessions. The vulnerability also intersects with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses in web applications, and CWE-284, which covers improper access control mechanisms. Organizations implementing FortiGate devices would be particularly vulnerable to attacks that exploit this flaw, as these appliances serve as primary network security controls and their compromise could lead to widespread network infiltration.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate firmware updates to versions 4.3.13 or 5.0.2 and later, which contain proper anti-CSRF token implementation and enhanced request validation mechanisms. Network administrators should also implement additional security controls such as restricting administrative access to trusted network segments, implementing network segmentation to limit exposure, and monitoring for suspicious administrative activities. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date security firmware and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect critical network infrastructure. Organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their FortiGate deployments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and establish incident response procedures for handling such security incidents. Regular vulnerability scanning and patch management processes become essential to prevent exploitation of similar flaws in network security infrastructure.