CVE-2021-36176 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

Multiple uncontrolled resource consumption vulnerabilities in the web interface of FortiPortal before 6.0.6 may allow a single low-privileged user to induce a denial of service via multiple HTTP requests.

Understanding CVE-2021-36176

This section will delve into the details of the CVE-2021-36176 vulnerability affecting Fortinet FortiPortal before version 6.0.6.

What is CVE-2021-36176?

CVE-2021-36176 refers to multiple uncontrolled resource consumption vulnerabilities in the web interface of FortiPortal before version 6.0.6. These vulnerabilities could be exploited by a single low-privileged user to trigger a denial of service attack through multiple HTTP requests.

The Impact of CVE-2021-36176

The impact of CVE-2021-36176 is rated as medium severity with a base score of 5.8. Although the confidentiality and integrity impacts are low, the vulnerability could lead to a denial of service condition, affecting the availability of the system.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-36176

In this section, we will explore the technical aspects of the CVE-2021-36176 vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability involves multiple uncontrolled resource consumption issues in FortiPortal's web interface before version 6.0.6, potentially enabling a low-privileged user to launch a denial of service attack by sending multiple HTTP requests.

Affected Systems and Versions

Fortinet FortiPortal versions before 6.0.6 are affected by this vulnerability. Users are advised to update to the latest version to mitigate the risk.

Exploitation Mechanism

Exploiting CVE-2021-36176 requires an attacker to send a series of crafted HTTP requests to the vulnerable FortiPortal web interface, leading to resource exhaustion and a denial of service condition.

Mitigation and Prevention

This section outlines the steps to mitigate and prevent exploitation of CVE-2021-36176.

Immediate Steps to Take

Users are recommended to update FortiPortal to version 6.0.6 or newer to mitigate the risk of exploitation. Additionally, monitoring and limiting HTTP requests to the web interface can help prevent the vulnerability from being leveraged.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implementing network-level controls, such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems, can enhance the overall security posture, reducing the likelihood of successful attacks.

Patching and Updates

Regularly applying security patches and updates provided by Fortinet is crucial to ensuring that known vulnerabilities are addressed promptly and effectively.