Fortinet FortiGate-1000C: Improper Certificate Validation (CVE-2012-4948)
Published Sources: CVE.org
What is affected, what to do
The default configuration of Fortinet Fortigate UTM appliances uses the same Certification Authority certificate and same private key across different customers' installations, which makes it easier for man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof SSL servers by leveraging the presence of the Fortinet_CA_SSLProxy certificate in a list of trusted root certification authorities.
The available sources name no fixed version. Check the vendor guidance in the references below.
Not sure whether and how you are affected? Ask a question about this vulnerability
Metrics
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Priority
No value is available for this vulnerability.
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CVSS v3
No value is available for this vulnerability.
0.3 %
EPSS score
Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.
Source: FIRST EPSS, percentile 25.1
Show all metrics
- Severity
- Not rated
Priority score
The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?
Read in glossary- 5.04
Exploit maturity
An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.
Read in glossary- no public PoC known
EPSS score
The EPSS score is the absolute model output for an individual vulnerability: the estimated probability of real-world exploitation within the next 30 days, expressed as a value between 0 and 1 (i.e. 0 % to 100 %). A score of 0.42 means „the model estimates a 42 % chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days“.
Read in glossary- 0.3 %
- Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.
EPSS percentile
The EPSS percentile is the relative position of a vulnerability within all EPSS-scored CVEs, expressed as a value between 0 and 1. A percentile of 0.90 means „this CVE has a higher EPSS score than 90 % of all other scored CVEs“. Unlike the EPSS score, it is not a probability — but a positioning within a ranking.
Read in glossary- 25.1
- Elevated — this CVE ranks above at least 10% of all CVEs scored today.
KEV status
The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.
Read in glossary- —
- Published
CWE
CWE is a catalogue of typical weakness types in software and hardware — such as flawed input validation, unsafe memory handling or poor authentication. Where a CVE names a concrete vulnerability in a concrete product, a CWE describes the underlying class of defect.
Read in glossary- CWE-295
Classification under NIS2 and CRA
Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.
NIS2
NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.
Read in glossary- Handle the vulnerability in regular vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2.
CRA
The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.
Read in glossary- From 11.12.2027, Annex I Part II CRA requires manufacturers of affected products with digital elements to handle vulnerabilities without delay and provide security updates.
ISO/IEC 27001
ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.
Read in glossary- Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.
Description
The default configuration of Fortinet Fortigate UTM appliances uses the same Certification Authority certificate and same private key across different customers' installations, which makes it easier for man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof SSL servers by leveraging the presence of the Fortinet_CA_SSLProxy certificate in a list of trusted root certification authorities.
Source: NVD (NIST), cvelistv5
Affected products
The following versions are affected. Older releases of the same product line are also vulnerable unless stated otherwise.
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| fortinet | fortigate-1000c |
|
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| fortinet | fortigate-100d |
|
|
| fortinet | fortigate-110c |
|
|
| fortinet | fortigate-1240b |
|
|
| fortinet | fortigate-200b |
|
|
| fortinet | fortigate-20c |
|
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| fortinet | fortigate-300c |
|
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| fortinet | fortigate-3040b |
|
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| fortinet | fortigate-310b |
|
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| fortinet | fortigate-311b |
|
|
| fortinet | fortigate-3140b |
|
|
| fortinet | fortigate-3240c |
|
|
| fortinet | fortigate-3810a |
|
|
| fortinet | fortigate-3950b |
|
|
| fortinet | fortigate-40c |
|
|
| fortinet | fortigate-5001a-sw |
|
|
| fortinet | fortigate-5001b |
|
|
| fortinet | fortigate-5020 |
|
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| fortinet | fortigate-5060 |
|
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| fortinet | fortigate-50b |
|
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| fortinet | fortigate-5101c |
|
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| fortinet | fortigate-5140b |
|
|
| fortinet | fortigate-600c |
|
|
| fortinet | fortigate-60c |
|
|
| fortinet | fortigate-620b |
|
|
| fortinet | fortigate-800c |
|
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| fortinet | fortigate-80c |
|
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| fortinet | fortigate-voice-80c |
|
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| fortinet | fortigaterugged-100c |
|
|
Weakness classes (CWE)
CWE-295Improper Certificate Validation
Base
The product does not validate, or incorrectly validates, a certificate.
Entry at MITRE CWE-295
References & sources
- kb.cert.orgVU#111708Third-party advisory, x_refsource_CERT-VN, Third-party advisory, US government resource
- securityfocus.com56382Vulnerability database, x_refsource_BID, Third-party advisory, Vulnerability database
- osvdb.org87048Vulnerability database, x_refsource_OSVDB