Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2023-37936 is a critical-severity Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key (CWE-321) vulnerability in Fortinet Fortiswitch. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Credentials In Files (T1552.001); ranked in the top 38% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to IA-5 (Authenticator Management) and SC-12 (Cryptographic Key Establishment and Management) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
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-2023-37936 is a critical vulnerability stemming from the use of a hard-coded cryptographic key in Fortinet FortiSwitch, affecting versions 7.4.0, 7.2.0 through 7.2.5, 7.0.0 through 7.0.7, 6.4.0 through 6.4.13, 6.2.0 through 6.2.7, and 6.0.0 through 6.0.7. Mapped to CWE-321 (Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key) and CWE-798 (Use of Hard-coded Credentials), it enables attackers to execute unauthorized code or commands through crafted requests. The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), indicating high severity due to its potential for complete system compromise.
A remote, unauthenticated attacker can exploit this flaw over the network with low complexity and no user interaction required. By leveraging the hard-coded key, the attacker crafts malicious requests to bypass authentication or encryption mechanisms, achieving arbitrary code execution or command injection on the affected FortiSwitch device. This grants high-impact confidentiality, integrity, and availability violations, potentially leading to full control over the switch and lateral movement within the network.
Fortinet has published a detailed advisory at https://fortiguard.com/psirt/FG-IR-23-260, which security practitioners should consult for patch availability, workaround guidance, and affected product confirmation. Upgrading to a patched version is the primary recommended mitigation.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-41789
Vulnerability Data
A use of hard-coded cryptographic key in Fortinet FortiSwitch version 7.4.0 and 7.2.0 through 7.2.5 and 7.0.0 through 7.0.7 and 6.4.0 through 6.4.13 and 6.2.0 through 6.2.7 and 6.0.0 through 6.0.7 allows attacker to execute unauthorized code or commands via…
more
crafted requests.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Requiring cryptographic keys to be established and managed according to defined requirements prevents developers from embedding static unchangeable keys.
Authenticator management requires secure distribution and handling of credentials, structurally discouraging hard-coded values.
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.AA-01's credential/key-management processes can reduce the incentive to embed secrets but do not address or detect hard-coded values in source code, so the weakness remains fully possible.
Data-at-rest protection policies require proper key management and therefore discourage hard-coded keys.
Data-in-transit protection similarly depends on non-hard-coded keys for encryption.
Configuration baselines and reviews can prohibit hard-coded keys in deployed artifacts.
Secure-SDLC activities such as code review and secret scanning directly prevent embedding static keys.
PR.AA-02 addresses human identity proofing and per-person credential issuance at enrollment; it has no bearing on whether developers embed static credentials in software.
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.
Education on secure configuration practices discourages technical staff from embedding or relying on hard-coded credentials in systems and applications.