Known exploited · Fortinet

CVE-2023-48788: Fortinet FortiClient EMS SQL Injection Vulnerability

What it is

Fortinet FortiClient EMS contains a SQL injection vulnerability that allows an unauthenticated attacker to execute commands as SYSTEM via specifically crafted requests.

Added March 25, 2024Due April 15, 2024CISA KEV catalog 2026.10.01

Vendor
Fortinet
Product
FortiClient EMS
Added to KEV
March 25, 2024
CISA due date
April 15, 2024
Ransomware use
Known

What CISA requires

Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

Forensic triage

No

What to do now

  1. Find every instance of FortiClient EMS you run, including the forgotten ones, and check its version against the vendor advisory.
  2. Apply the vendor's fix or mitigation, before April 15, 2024 if you are bound by CISA's deadline, sooner if it faces the internet.
  3. Assume it was tried against you already: look for signs of exploitation from the date it was added, not from the day you patched.
  4. Until every instance is patched, block the attack at the edge: a WAF in blocking mode stops SQL injection attempts.

References

CVE-2023-48788 in the National Vulnerability Database

The Dome

Block it at the edge while you patch

The Dome's WAF runs the OWASP Core Rule Set in blocking mode and stops SQL injection attempts before they reach your application.

See the Dome

T Academy

Train the engineers who fix it

Security engineering on real hosts in the browser, every objective checked on the machine. The first two lessons of Linux 1 are free.

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Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog (public domain), catalog version 2026.10.01.