Malicious image boot via failed integrity validation
Published Nov 14, 2023 · Updated Jun 11, 2025
Integrity-check bypass in Fortinet FortiOS and FortiProxy VMs allows local users with admin privileges to boot a malicious image. The VM boot-time filesystem verification path accepts an attacker-controlled system image without correctly validating its integrity-check value. Administrative access to the virtual appliance and control of its boot image are required, after which attacker-supplied filesystem contents run as the appliance operating system.
Summary
What happened
Integrity-check bypass in Fortinet FortiOS and FortiProxy VMs allows local users with admin privileges to boot a malicious image. The VM boot-time filesystem verification path accepts an attacker-controlled system image without correctly validating its integrity-check value. Administrative access to the virtual appliance and control of its boot image are required, after which attacker-supplied filesystem contents run as the appliance operating system.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-28002
- Published
- Nov 14, 2023
- Updated
- Jun 11, 2025
- Vendor
- Fortinet
- Product
- FortiOS
- Classifications
- CWE-354
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- admin
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Nov 14, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jun 11, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=2.0.0 <=2.0.13
- Affected versionversion=6.0.0 <=6.0.17
- Affected versionversion=6.0.0 <=6.0.18
- Affected versionversion=6.2.0 <=6.2.15
- Affected versionversion=6.2.0 <=6.2.16
- Affected versionversion=6.4.0 <=6.4.14
- Affected versionversion=6.4.0 <=6.4.15
- Affected versionversion=7.0.0 <=7.0.12
- Affected versionversion=7.0.0 <=7.0.13
- Affected versionversion=7.2.0 <=7.2.3
- Affected versionversion=7.2.0 <=7.2.7
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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