CVE-2017-7737 in FortiWeb
Summary
by MITRE
An information disclosure vulnerability in Fortinet FortiWeb 5.8.2 and below versions allows logged-in admin user to view SNMPv3 user password in cleartext in webui via the HTML source code.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/08/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2017-7737 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within Fortinet FortiWeb web application firewalls running versions 5.8.2 and earlier. This security weakness specifically affects authenticated administrative users who can leverage their logged-in session to extract sensitive information through the web user interface. The flaw manifests when SNMPv3 user credentials are displayed in cleartext within the HTML source code, creating an avenue for unauthorized information exposure that directly violates fundamental security principles of credential protection and access control.
This technical vulnerability stems from improper input validation and output encoding within the FortiWeb administrative web interface. When administrators configure SNMPv3 settings through the web UI, the system fails to adequately sanitize or obfuscate password fields before rendering them in the HTML document structure. The cleartext exposure occurs at the presentation layer rather than being properly masked or encrypted during display, creating a direct information disclosure vector that aligns with CWE-200 (Information Exposure) and CWE-312 (Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information). The vulnerability specifically impacts the web application's user interface rendering process where sensitive authentication data should be protected through proper security controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential exposure, as it provides attackers with the ability to escalate privileges and gain unauthorized access to network infrastructure managed by the FortiWeb appliance. An attacker with access to an authenticated administrative session can extract SNMPv3 passwords and potentially use them to compromise other network devices that rely on these credentials for monitoring and management functions. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1552.001 (Credentials in Files) and T1078 (Valid Accounts) as it enables adversaries to obtain legitimate credentials through information disclosure rather than brute force or social engineering approaches. The exposure of SNMPv3 credentials could lead to full network compromise, as these credentials often provide access to critical network monitoring and management functions.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to Fortinet FortiWeb versions 5.8.3 or later where the issue has been resolved through proper input sanitization and output encoding. Network administrators must also conduct thorough security assessments to identify any instances where the vulnerable version is deployed and ensure that SNMPv3 credentials are rotated and reconfigured with stronger authentication mechanisms. The remediation process should include reviewing web application security configurations and implementing proper access controls to prevent unauthorized access to administrative interfaces. Additionally, security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, and regular security audits should verify that sensitive information is properly protected within web application interfaces to prevent similar information disclosure vulnerabilities from occurring in other systems.