In a recent advisory, Fortinet has sounded the alarm over a critical vulnerability affecting its popular FortiSwitch product line. Tracked as CVE-2024-48887 and rated 9.3 on the CVSS v3 scale, the flaw opens the door for unauthenticated attackers to remotely change the admin password on a FortiSwitch device without needing any login credentials. In simpler terms, anyone with access to the switch’s web interface could take over administrative control with a few crafted HTTP requests.
This type of vulnerability is particularly concerning because FortiSwitches are typically integrated into core network infrastructure. Whether deployed in large-scale enterprise environments or smaller branch networks, these switches play a critical role in routing internal traffic. When such a foundational layer becomes vulnerable, the risk of full network compromise becomes very real.
At its core, CVE-2024-48887 is a web interface vulnerability more specifically, a failure to authenticate and verify password change requests submitted through the GUI (Graphical User Interface). The flaw exists in the administrative web portal of FortiSwitch, where the system does not adequately validate whether a password change command is coming from a legitimate, logged-in administrator.
An attacker can exploit this simply by sending a crafted HTTP request to the switch’s GUI. Because there’s no authentication check tied to that action, the system processes the request as if it were coming from a trusted admin. This gives the attacker the power to silently overwrite the current admin password, locking out legitimate users and taking full control of the device.
In a real-world scenario, an attacker could use this control to:
What makes the situation more dangerous is that FortiSwitch GUIs are often exposed within internal networks and sometimes even unintentionally accessible externally due to misconfigurations. It only takes one vulnerable switch in a large enterprise environment to create a chain reaction of compromise.
The potential consequences of this vulnerability are severe, especially in environments where network segmentation and device integrity are essential to day-to-day operations. If exploited, CVE-2024-48887 allows an attacker to:
In enterprise networks where FortiSwitch devices are used in critical layers like aggregation, distribution, or access the risks escalate rapidly.
The vulnerability impacts a wide range of FortiSwitch firmware versions, including:
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