CVE-2023-29184VulnerabilityPublished 10 Jun 2025

CVE-2023-29184: Fortinet FortiProxy · Improper access control

Affects Fortinet FortiProxySource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 3.1 Low.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

3.1Low

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 11% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:N/E:P/RL:X/RC:X

Base metrics

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: High
User Interaction: None
Scope: Changed
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: Low
Availability: None

Temporal metrics

Exploit Code Maturity: Proof-of-Concept

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Local: The vulnerable component is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either: the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or remotely (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., tricking a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: High: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide significant (e.g., administrative) control over the vulnerable component that could affect component-wide settings and files.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Changed: An exploited vulnerability can affect resources beyond the security scope managed by the security authority of the vulnerable component. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are different and managed by different security authorities.
Confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.
Exploit Code Maturity: Proof-of-Concept: Proof-of-concept exploit code is available, or an attack demonstration is not practical for most systems. The code or technique is not functional in all situations and may require substantial modification by a skilled attacker.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 10 Jun 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-26.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Fortinet FortiProxy	Affected =7.2.0 =7.0.0 =2.0.0 =1.2.0 =1.1.0	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

1. Restrict VDOM privileged access strictly to trusted administrators and implement strong authentication and authorization controls to minimize the risk of insider threats or credential compromise. 2. Monitor CLI activity and system logs for unusual SSH key additions or configuration changes, employing automated detection tools where possible to identify suspicious behavior early. 3. 4. Conduct periodic audits of SSH keys present on FortiProxy and FortiOS systems to detect unauthorized keys and remove them promptly. 5. Implement network segmentation and least privilege principles to limit the scope of access that any single VDOM privileged user has, reducing potential attack surface. 6. Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) for administrative access to Fortinet devices to add an additional security layer. 7. Engage in proactive threat hunting and incident response planning to quickly identify and respond to potential exploitation attempts.

Description

An incomplete cleanup vulnerability [CWE-459] in FortiOS 7.2 all versions and before & FortiProxy version 7.2.0 through 7.2.2 and before 7.0.8 allows a VDOM privileged attacker to add SSH key files on the system silently via crafted CLI requests.

Impact

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2023-29184 depends on the deployment and use of Fortinet FortiProxy and FortiOS products. Fortinet is widely used in enterprise networks across Europe for secure web gateway, proxy, and firewall functions. An attacker with VDOM privileged access could silently add SSH keys, potentially enabling persistent unauthorized access to critical network infrastructure. This could lead to integrity compromises, such as unauthorized configuration changes or lateral movement within the network. While the vulnerability itself is rated low severity and requires high privileges, it could be a stepping stone in a multi-stage attack, especially in environments where internal threat actors or compromised administrators exist. The lack of impact on confidentiality and availability reduces the immediate risk of data breaches or service disruption solely from this vulnerability. However, the stealthy nature of the attack vector could delay detection and remediation, increasing the risk of prolonged compromise. European organizations with strict regulatory requirements (e.g., GDPR) must consider the potential compliance implications of unauthorized access and integrity violations within their network security infrastructure.

References

fortiguard.fortinet.com/psirt/FG-IR-23-008 (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 11 Jul 2025, 23:01 UTC

Technical details

References

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