Overview
CVE-2025-58412 is a medium severity Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting Fortinet FortiADC. Specifically, it involves an improper neutralization of script-related HTML tags in a web page, potentially allowing attackers to execute unauthorized code or commands via crafted URLs.
This vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and output encoding in web applications to prevent malicious code injection. It impacts several versions of FortiADC, including 8.0.0, 7.6.0 through 7.6.3, 7.4 (all versions), and 7.2 (all versions).
Technical Details
The vulnerability lies in the way FortiADC handles specific HTML tags within user-supplied input (likely via URL parameters). An attacker can craft a URL containing malicious JavaScript code embedded within these HTML tags. When the affected FortiADC web pages render this crafted URL, the embedded JavaScript will be executed in the victim’s browser. This constitutes a “basic XSS” vulnerability.
The specific tags affected are not explicitly detailed in the provided description, but the term “script-related HTML tags” suggests tags like <script>, <img src="javascript:...">, and event handlers (e.g., <a href="#" onclick="...">) could be exploited.
The attack requires the user to click on a malicious link or visit a compromised webpage that automatically redirects to the crafted URL on the FortiADC instance.
CVSS Analysis
The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 4.7, indicating a Medium severity. While the impact is significant (potential for unauthorized code execution), the exploitability is limited because it generally requires user interaction (clicking on a malicious link).
A typical CVSS vector for this type of vulnerability might look something like:
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
(AV:N – Network, AC:L – Low, PR:N – None, UI:R – Required User Interaction, S:C – Changed, C:L – Low, I:L – Low, A:N – None)
Possible Impact
Successful exploitation of this XSS vulnerability can lead to:
- Account Compromise: An attacker could potentially steal user session cookies, allowing them to impersonate legitimate users.
- Defacement: The attacker could modify the appearance of the FortiADC web interface.
- Redirection: Users could be redirected to malicious websites.
- Information Disclosure: Sensitive information displayed on the FortiADC web pages could be exposed to the attacker.
- Keylogging: The attacker could inject code to capture user keystrokes.
Mitigation and Patch Steps
The recommended mitigation is to upgrade to a FortiADC version that addresses this vulnerability. Fortinet has likely released patched versions of FortiADC to remediate this issue. Contact Fortinet support or check the Fortinet support portal for the latest available updates.
Specific Mitigation Steps:
- Identify Affected Systems: Determine if your FortiADC instances are running vulnerable versions (8.0.0, 7.6.0 through 7.6.3, 7.4 all versions, or 7.2 all versions).
- Apply Patches: Download and install the appropriate patches or upgrade to a fixed version as provided by Fortinet.
- Web Application Firewall (WAF): Consider deploying a WAF in front of your FortiADC instance. A WAF can help detect and block malicious XSS payloads before they reach the FortiADC server.
- User Awareness: Educate users about the risks of clicking on suspicious links.