Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-34993

RCE in Fortinet Fortiwlm 8.5.0 – 8.5.4

RCECommand Injection
Published
10 October 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
View 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 0.18 97th percentile
Risk Priority 97 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-34993 is a critical-severity OS Command Injection (CWE-78) vulnerability in Fortinet Fortiwlm. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Command and Scripting Interpreter (T1059); ranked in the top 3% 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.

CVE-2023-34993 is an OS command injection vulnerability (CWE-78) affecting Fortinet FortiWLM wireless LAN management software in versions 8.6.0 through 8.6.5 and 8.5.0 through 8.5.4. The flaw stems from improper neutralization of special elements in OS commands, enabling remote attackers to inject and execute arbitrary commands through crafted parameters in HTTP GET requests. It carries a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8, reflecting network-accessible exploitation with no required authentication or user interaction and full impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

An unauthenticated attacker can send a maliciously constructed HTTP GET request to an exposed FortiWLM instance and achieve arbitrary code execution on the underlying system. This grants the ability to run unauthorized commands, potentially leading to full device compromise, data exfiltration, or use as a foothold for further network attacks.

The vendor advisory FG-IR-23-140, published alongside the CVE, directs administrators to apply the fixes released by Fortinet for the affected FortiWLM branches.

The EPSS score for this vulnerability currently stands at 0.8768 with a recorded peak of 0.9683, indicating sustained high exploitation interest following disclosure.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A05:2025 Injection

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

A improper neutralization of special elements used in an os command ('os command injection') in Fortinet FortiWLM version 8.6.0 through 8.6.5 and 8.5.0 through 8.5.4 allows attacker to execute unauthorized code or commands via specifically crafted http get request parameters.

CWE(s)
CWE-78

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter Execution
Adversaries may abuse command and script interpreters to execute commands, scripts, or binaries.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.003 Windows Command Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse the Windows command shell for execution.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.004 Unix Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse Unix shell commands and scripts for execution.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.001 PowerShell Execution
Adversaries may abuse PowerShell commands and scripts for execution.
attack.mitre.org →
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.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-34988Same product: Fortinet Fortiwlm
CVE-2023-34985Same product: Fortinet Fortiwlm
CVE-2023-36547Same product: Fortinet Fortiwlm
CVE-2023-36549Same product: Fortinet Fortiwlm
CVE-2023-36548Same product: Fortinet Fortiwlm
CVE-2023-34989Same product: Fortinet Fortiwlm
CVE-2023-34986Same product: Fortinet Fortiwlm
CVE-2023-48782Same product: Fortinet Fortiwlm
CVE-2023-34987Same product: Fortinet Fortiwlm
CVE-2023-36550Same product: Fortinet Fortiwlm

Affected Assets

fortinet
fortiwlm
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)
  • V1.2.5
  • V1.2.8
  • V15.2.5

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.

SC-27 Platform-independent Applications
addresses: CWE-78

Platform-independent apps typically execute inside a managed runtime or sandbox that restricts direct OS command execution, reducing the ability to exploit OS command injection.

SI-10 Information Input Validation
addresses: CWE-78

Validates inputs to block special elements that would alter OS command execution.

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

PR.PS-06's SDLC practices directly require secure coding and input handling that blocks command-injection defects, yet the single broad outcome leaves many specific neutralization vectors and verification gaps unaddressed.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Routine patching/maintenance can remediate known command-injection CVEs in dependencies (partial forward) but does nothing to stop developers from introducing improper neutralization in custom code (none reverse).

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.

A.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
finds

Security testing and code review target insecure use of operating-system command interfaces, catching command-injection flaws introduced during development.

References