CVE-2024-11972 Scanner

Fortinet SSL-VPN is widely used by organizations to enable secure remote access to their networks. It provides users with a means to connect to internal resources over a secure, encrypted connection. The software is used by IT professionals, network administrators, and security teams seeking to protect their infrastructures from unauthorized access while offering flexibility for remote work. Its integration with FortiOS ensures enhanced security by leveraging Fortinet's robust threat intelligence and advanced security features. SSL-VPNs are critical in the context of increased remote work, providing the necessary infrastructure to support distributed teams. They are trusted in various sectors, including financial services, healthcare, and education, for secure communication over the Internet.

The Heap-Based Buffer Overflow vulnerability is a serious security flaw that could allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code. The issue arises from improper management of heap memory when handling particular requests, which can be maliciously crafted by an attacker. If exploited, the vulnerability permits the execution of code at the system level, bypassing normal security checks. It specifically affects multiple versions of FortiOS and FortiProxy in SSL-VPN functionality, exposing systems to possible compromise. The ease of exploitation due to its network accessibility heightens the risk associated with this vulnerability. Patches have been released by Fortinet to address this critical security hole, emphasizing the urgency and importance of upgrading affected devices.

Technical details reveal that the vulnerability is triggered by sending crafted requests to specific endpoints, particularly the '/remote/login' and '/login' URLs. The flaw is a result of incorrect data handling in the code responsible for processing user inputs during VPN connection attempts. Attackers can cause a buffer overflow by sending excessively sized data payloads, which the system's services fail to manage correctly. This vulnerability resides in the SSL-VPN login module, with potential exploitation occurring before any authentication measures are enforced. The presence of this flaw offers a foothold into vulnerable systems, potentially granting attackers administrative control without any user interaction. The use of deprecated or unsupported versions of FortiOS or FortiProxy exacerbates the risk, making systems easier targets for these overflow attacks.

Exploitation of this vulnerability may have dire consequences, including unauthorized access, data theft, and system downtime. Successful attacks could allow threat actors to execute arbitrary commands, install malware, and exfiltrate sensitive information from the compromised network. This type of attack undermines the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of critical business operations, potentially leading to financial loss and reputational damage. As it involves remote code execution, it poses a significant threat to overall network security, risking complete takeover by malicious entities. Additionally, once compromised, systems can be used as launch points for further attacks on other networked devices. The wide deployment and critical nature of SSL-VPNs mean the exploitation of such vulnerabilities could have widespread, severe impacts.

REFERENCES

• https://github.com/0xhaggis/CVE-2022-42475
• https://fortiguard.com/psirt/FG-IR-22-398
• https://labs.watchtowr.com/fortinet-no-more-funny-titles-cve-2022-42475/
• https://bishopfox.com/blog/exploit-cve-2022-42475