CVE-2023-42786

A null pointer dereference in FortiOS versions 7.4.0 through 7.4.1, 7.2.0 through 7.2.5, 7.0 all versions, 6.4 all versions , 6.2 all versions and 6.0 all versions allows attacker to trigger a denial of service via a crafted http request.

Published: 2025-01-14 Last update: 2025-01-17 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2023-42786 is rated Moderate Risk (49/100): CVSS Medium severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.50%). Mandatory action: Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2023-42786

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-05-18 0.66% 0.50% -0.15%
2 2026-02-23 0.36% 0.66% +0.29%
3 2026-02-22 0.36%

Full EPSS history (22 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-42786

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
6.5 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
2.8 3.6 [email protected]
6.5 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
2.8 3.6 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-42786

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-42786

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
fortinet fortios >= 6.0.0, < 7.2.6 cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
fortinet fortios >= 7.4.0, < 7.4.2 cpe:2.3:o:fortinet:fortios:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2023-42786

cvelogic Threat Intelligence