CVE-2017-17544 in FortiOS
Summary
by MITRE
A privilege escalation vulnerability in Fortinet FortiOS all versions below 6.2.0 allows admin users to elevate their profile to super_admin via restoring modified configurations.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/28/2023
This privilege escalation vulnerability exists within Fortinet FortiOS versions prior to 6.2.0 and represents a critical security flaw that undermines the system's access control mechanisms. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation during the configuration restoration process, allowing administrative users to manipulate their privileges by restoring modified configuration files that contain elevated access rights. This weakness directly violates the principle of least privilege and demonstrates a fundamental flaw in the software's privilege management architecture.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the configuration restoration functionality by enabling attackers to inject super_admin privileges into their administrative sessions through crafted configuration files. When a user with administrative privileges restores a modified configuration, the system fails to properly validate the integrity and authorization levels of the restored settings, thereby allowing unauthorized privilege elevation. This flaw operates at the application layer and specifically targets the FortiOS configuration management system, creating a path for attackers to bypass normal access controls and gain full administrative access to the device.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables attackers to escalate their privileges from standard administrator to super_admin level without requiring additional authentication or authorization. This allows malicious actors to perform critical system operations including but not limited to modifying firewall rules, accessing sensitive data, configuring network policies, and potentially compromising the entire network infrastructure. The vulnerability can be exploited remotely if the administrative interface is accessible, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where FortiOS devices serve as critical network security components. This type of privilege escalation directly maps to attack techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation tactics, specifically leveraging configuration management flaws.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching to FortiOS version 6.2.0 or later, which includes enhanced validation mechanisms for configuration restoration processes. Organizations should also implement strict access controls and monitoring of configuration changes, ensuring that only authorized personnel can perform administrative tasks and that all configuration modifications are properly logged and audited. Network segmentation and least privilege principles should be enforced to limit the potential impact of compromised administrative accounts. Additionally, regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar flaws in other network security devices and systems. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which addresses improper access control, and represents a classic example of how configuration management flaws can lead to critical privilege escalation attacks in enterprise security infrastructure.