CVE-2023-26209
Fortinet Fortideceptor 1.0.0 – 3.2.0
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:LSummary
CVE-2023-26209 is a low-severity Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts (CWE-307) vulnerability in Fortinet Fortideceptor. Its CVSS base score is 3.7 (Low).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Brute Force (T1110); ranked in the top 24% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
A improper restriction of excessive authentication attempts vulnerability (CWE-307) affects Fortinet FortiDeceptor versions 3.1.x and earlier. The flaw resides in the product's handling of the login form and permits partial exhaustion of CPU and memory when the component receives repeated authentication attempts.
A remote unauthenticated attacker can exploit the issue over the network by submitting numerous HTTP requests to the login form. Successful abuse results in limited denial-of-service impact, with no confidentiality or integrity consequences, consistent with the CVSS 3.7 rating.
Fortinet published advisory FG-IR-20-078 to document the vulnerability. The current EPSS score of 0.1961 has remained essentially flat at its recorded peak of 0.1970.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-30034
Vulnerability Data
A improper restriction of excessive authentication attempts vulnerability [CWE-307] in Fortinet FortiDeceptor 3.1.x and before allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to partially exhaust CPU and memory via sending numerous HTTP requests to the login form.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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- 2 hardening rules · 1 OS baseline
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Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
This control directly enforces limits on consecutive invalid logon attempts and automatic response (e.g., lockout) to prevent brute-force exploitation of authentication mechanisms.
Specific conditions can include excessive failed attempts, triggering stronger authentication that restricts brute-force exploitation.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Authentication enforcement directly includes lockout, throttling, and MFA policies that prevent brute-force attempts.
Behavioral monitoring of authentication activity can detect excessive failed attempts after they occur.
Generating auth logs enables later detection or forensics but does not itself restrict attempts.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
CAPTCHA, account lock-out after repeated failures, and alerts on excessive attempts directly stop automated brute-force guessing of credentials.
Hardening callouts derived
Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).
RHEL 7 (2 rules)
- V-204427 The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must be configured to lock accounts for a minimum of 15 minutes after three unsuccessful logon attempts within a 15-minute timeframe. prevents CWE-307
- V-204428 The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must lock the associated account after three unsuccessful root logon attempts are made within a 15-minute period. prevents CWE-307