CVE-2022-45861 Explained : Impact and Mitigation
CVE-2022-45861 is an access of uninitialized pointer vulnerability in Fortinet FortiOS and FortiProxy versions, allowing a remote attacker to crash the sslvpn daemon. Learn about the impact, affected versions, and mitigation steps.
This article provides detailed information about CVE-2022-45861, including its description, impact, technical details, and mitigation steps.
Understanding CVE-2022-45861
In this section, we will delve into the specifics of CVE-2022-45861.
What is CVE-2022-45861?
CVE-2022-45861 is an access of uninitialized pointer vulnerability (CWE-824) found in the SSL VPN portal of Fortinet FortiOS and FortiProxy products. The affected versions include FortiOS 7.2.0 through 7.2.3, 7.0.0 through 7.0.9, and versions before 6.4.11, as well as FortiProxy 7.2.0 through 7.2.1, 7.0.0 through 7.0.7, and versions before 2.0.11. This vulnerability allows a remote authenticated attacker to crash the sslvpn daemon via an HTTP GET request.
Impact of CVE-2022-45861
The impact of this vulnerability is rated as medium with a CVSS base score of 6.4. It has a low attack complexity and requires low privileges, but the availability impact is high. The vulnerability does not affect confidentiality or integrity.
Technical Details of CVE-2022-45861
Let's explore the technical details of CVE-2022-45861.
Vulnerability Description
The vulnerability arises due to an uninitialized pointer access in the SSL VPN portal of Fortinet products, leading to a denial of service.
Affected Systems and Versions
The vulnerability affects FortiOS versions 7.2.0 to 7.2.3, 7.0.0 to 7.0.9, and versions prior to 6.4.11, as well as FortiProxy versions 7.2.0 to 7.2.1, 7.0.0 to 7.0.7, and versions before 2.0.11.
Exploitation Mechanism
A remote authenticated attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP GET request to crash the sslvpn daemon.
Mitigation and Prevention
In this section, we will cover mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-45861.
Immediate Steps to Take
Users are advised to upgrade to the following versions:
- FortiOS version 7.2.4 or above
- FortiOS version 7.0.10 or above
- FortiOS version 6.4.12 or above
- FortiProxy version 7.2.2 or above
- FortiProxy version 7.0.8 or above
- FortiProxy version 2.0.12 or above
Long-Term Security Practices
Implementing network segmentation and access controls can help mitigate the risk of similar vulnerabilities in the future.
Patching and Updates
Regularly applying security patches and updates from Fortinet is crucial to ensure the protection of systems against known vulnerabilities.