Security Resilience

CVE-2023-40719

Exposed Creds in Fortinet Fortianalyzer 7.0.0 – 7.0.10

Published
14 November 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 4.1
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
EPSS Score 0.0019 9th percentile
Risk Priority 32 floored blend · peak EPSS

CVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.

Summary

CVE-2023-40719 is a medium-severity Use of Hard-coded Credentials (CWE-798) vulnerability in Fortinet Fortianalyzer. Its CVSS base score is 4.1 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Credentials In Files (T1552.001); ranked at the 9th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

A use of hard-coded credentials vulnerability in Fortinet FortiAnalyzer and FortiManager 7.0.0 - 7.0.8, 7.2.0 - 7.2.3 and 7.4.0 allows an attacker to access Fortinet private testing data via the use of static credentials.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1552.001 Credentials In Files Credential Access
Adversaries may search local file systems and remote file shares for files containing insecurely stored credentials.
T1001 Data Obfuscation Command And Control
Adversaries may obfuscate command and control traffic to make it more difficult to detect.
T1001.003 Protocol or Service Impersonation Command And Control
Adversaries may impersonate legitimate protocols or web service traffic to disguise command and control activity and thwart analysis efforts.
T1003.004 LSA Secrets Credential Access
Adversaries with SYSTEM access to a host may attempt to access Local Security Authority (LSA) secrets, which can contain a variety of different credential materials, such as credentials for service accounts.
T1016.001 Internet Connection Discovery Discovery
Adversaries may check for Internet connectivity on compromised systems.
T1016.002 Wi-Fi Discovery Discovery
Adversaries may search for information about Wi-Fi networks, such as network names and passwords, on compromised systems.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2024-40585Same product: Fortinet Fortianalyzer
CVE-2023-33304Same vendor: Fortinet
CVE-2023-44253Same product: Fortinet Fortianalyzer
CVE-2024-33502Same product: Fortinet Fortianalyzer
CVE-2023-36638Same product: Fortinet Fortianalyzer
CVE-2023-44256Same product: Fortinet Fortianalyzer
CVE-2023-44249Same product: Fortinet Fortianalyzer
CVE-2025-67604Same product: Fortinet Fortianalyzer
CVE-2023-22642Same product: Fortinet Fortianalyzer
CVE-2023-40717Same vendor: Fortinet

Affected Assets

fortinet
fortianalyzer
7.4.0 · 7.0.0 — 7.0.10 · 7.2.0 — 7.2.3
fortinet
fortimanager
7.4.0 · 7.0.0 — 7.0.10 · 7.2.0 — 7.2.3

Mitigating Controls

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-798

Enables users to notice when hard-coded credentials have been exploited for unauthorized access.

addresses: CWE-798

Security training explicitly warns against hard-coded credentials, lowering their use in systems.

addresses: CWE-798

Policy and procedures prohibit hard-coded credentials in favor of managed authentication.

addresses: CWE-798

External identity providers eliminate the need for hard-coded credentials in applications.

addresses: CWE-798

Changing default authenticators prior to first use and protecting content prevents use of hard-coded credentials.

addresses: CWE-798

Central credential stores and rotation policies remove the need for hard-coded credentials in configuration files or code.

addresses: CWE-798

Intelligence programs surface reports of campaigns that abuse hard-coded credentials in products, prompting removal or replacement and thereby reducing successful exploitation.

addresses: CWE-798

Planned investment enables secure credential storage and management systems instead of hard-coded credentials.

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 partial match
blocks

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.

PR.AA-02 none match
blocks

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.

PR.DS-01 none match
blocks

PR.DS-01 addresses encryption and integrity of stored data but never touches credential or key management practices, so it neither prevents hard-coded credentials nor removes any of their risk.

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.

removes
removes
removes
removes
blocks

Education on secure configuration practices discourages technical staff from embedding or relying on hard-coded credentials in systems and applications.

References