CVE-2024-23107 in FortiWeb
Summary
by MITRE • 06/03/2024
An exposure of sensitive information to an unauthorized actor vulnerability [CWE-200] in FortiWeb version 7.4.0, version 7.2.4 and below, version 7.0.8 and below, 6.3 all versions may allow an authenticated attacker to read password hashes of other administrators via CLI commands.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/17/2024
This vulnerability represents a critical information disclosure flaw that affects FortiWeb web application firewalls across multiple version lines including 7.4.0, 7.2.4 and below, 7.0.8 and below, and all versions of 6.3. The issue stems from insufficient access controls within the command line interface that permits authenticated users to execute specific commands which reveal password hash information belonging to other administrative accounts. This weakness directly maps to CWE-200, which categorizes the exposure of sensitive information to unauthorized actors as a fundamental security flaw. The vulnerability exists because the system fails to properly validate user permissions when processing certain CLI commands, allowing privilege escalation through information gathering rather than direct privilege manipulation.
The technical implementation of this flaw involves the exploitation of administrative command interfaces where legitimate administrative commands are accessible to users who should not have access to such information. An authenticated attacker with access to any administrative account can leverage specific CLI commands to enumerate and extract password hash data from other administrative users within the same FortiWeb instance. This occurs through a lack of proper authorization checks that should normally restrict access to sensitive administrative information based on user roles and privileges. The vulnerability does not require elevated privileges to exploit since the attacker already possesses administrative access, but the flaw allows them to extend their reconnaissance capabilities beyond their immediate scope. The password hash exposure creates a significant risk for credential compromise, as these hashes can potentially be subjected to offline cracking attacks or used in credential reuse attacks against other systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it fundamentally undermines the security model of administrative access control within FortiWeb environments. Organizations utilizing affected versions may experience unauthorized access to administrative credentials that could lead to complete system compromise, as password hashes provide attackers with the means to impersonate legitimate administrative users. The vulnerability affects all administrative accounts within the system, potentially exposing the credentials of multiple administrators and creating a cascading risk for organizations that rely on FortiWeb for web application security. This flaw particularly impacts environments where multiple administrators manage the same FortiWeb instance, as it enables attackers to gather intelligence on the administrative workforce and their respective access credentials. The exposure of password hashes also violates security best practices for credential management and could result in compliance violations under various regulatory frameworks such as pci dss, iso 27001, and nist cybersecurity framework.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigation strategies including updating to patched versions of FortiWeb where available, applying the latest security patches from fortinet, and implementing additional access controls through network segmentation and administrative privilege management. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper access control implementation and the need for regular security assessments of administrative interfaces. Security teams should conduct immediate audits of administrative access logs to identify potential exploitation attempts and implement monitoring for suspicious CLI command usage patterns. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing additional security controls such as privilege separation, multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts, and regular credential rotation practices to reduce the impact of such information disclosure vulnerabilities. This vulnerability aligns with attack techniques described in the mitre att&ck framework under credential access and privilege escalation categories, emphasizing the need for comprehensive defensive measures against such threats.