Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-34991

SQLi in Fortinet Fortiwlm 8.5.0 – 8.5.4

Published
14 November 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 9.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.29 98th percentile
Risk Priority 86 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-34991 is a critical-severity SQL Injection (CWE-89) vulnerability in Fortinet Fortiwlm. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 2% 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.

The vulnerability CVE-2023-34991 is an SQL injection issue (CWE-89) caused by improper neutralization of special elements in SQL commands, affecting Fortinet FortiWLM versions 8.6.0 through 8.6.5, 8.5.0 through 8.5.4, 8.4.0 through 8.4.2, 8.3.0 through 8.3.2, and 8.2.2. It received a CVSS v3.1 score of 9.8.

An unauthenticated attacker with network access can exploit the flaw by submitting a crafted HTTP request, resulting in execution of unauthorized code or commands on the affected appliance.

Fortinet published advisory FG-IR-23-142 to address the issue. The EPSS score has remained flat at a peak of 0.0980 with no material rise observed after disclosure.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

A improper neutralization of special elements used in an sql command ('sql injection') in Fortinet FortiWLM version 8.6.0 through 8.6.5 and 8.5.0 through 8.5.4 and 8.4.0 through 8.4.2 and 8.3.0 through 8.3.2 and 8.2.2 allows attacker to execute unauthorized code…

more

or commands via a crafted http request.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2024-31495Same vendor: Fortinet
CVE-2023-48788Same vendor: Fortinet
CVE-2023-23775Same vendor: Fortinet
CVE-2023-26034Shared CWE-89
CVE-2023-46914Shared CWE-89
CVE-2023-44284Shared CWE-89
CVE-2023-48722Shared CWE-89
CVE-2024-4071Shared CWE-89
CVE-2023-49085Shared CWE-89
CVE-2024-25314Shared CWE-89

Affected Assets

fortinet
fortiwlm
8.2.2, 8.3.0, 8.3.1, 8.3.2, 8.4.0 · 8.5.0 — 8.5.4 · 8.6.0 — 8.6.5

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V6.2.5

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.

addresses: CWE-89

Penetration testing uses SQL injection payloads against database interfaces, identifying and supporting fixes for SQL injection weaknesses.

addresses: CWE-89

Validates query inputs to prevent SQL syntax or command manipulation.

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.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly target injection flaws during coding and review so largely prevent CWE-89 introduction, yet the single broad outcome leaves residual risk from incomplete neutralization techniques or missed edge cases.

PR.AT-02 partial match
prevents

Training raises developer awareness of SQLi risks and can reduce introduction likelihood (partial) but removes none of the actual coding flaw's risk by itself since technical neutralization is still required.

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.

finds

The same secure-coding and static-analysis activities surface missing neutralization of SQL metacharacters before the system is accepted.

prevents

Early warnings and shared best-practice information help organizations apply the latest remediation techniques against SQL-injection vulnerabilities.

prevents

Threat-intelligence feeds that surface new SQL-injection campaigns enable rapid updates to query-construction defenses and detection signatures before exploitation occurs.

prevents

Secure-coding rules and security testing phases mandate the use of parameterized queries or equivalent escaping, preventing the construction of dynamic SQL statements from untrusted input.

prevents

Language-specific secure coding rules, peer review and SAST together prevent the construction of SQL statements from untrusted data without proper parameterization or escaping.

References