FortiosOperating system · Fortinet
CVE-2017-14187
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedA local privilege escalation and local code execution vulnerability in Fortinet FortiOS 5.6.0 to 5.6.2, 5.4.0 to 5.4.8, and 5.2 and below versions allows attacker to execute unauthorized binary program contained on an USB drive plugged into a FortiGate via linking the aforementioned binary program to a command that is allowed to be run by the fnsysctl CLI command.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceFortiOS contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability where an attacker with physical access can plug a USB drive containing a malicious binary into a FortiGate device, then link that binary to a command permitted by the fnsysctl CLI command, achieving unauthorized root-level code execution.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
FortiosOperating system
<= 5.2.0>= 5.4.0, <= 5.4.8>= 5.6.0, <= 5.6.2CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Physical
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:P/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify FortiOS versionRun 'get system status' or 'fortios -v' via CLI or check the FortiGate web UI dashboard for the firmware versionAffected if The version listed is 5.2.0 or lower, between 5.4.0-5.4.8, or between 5.6.0-5.6.2
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Confirm USB support is enabledCheck if USB functionality is available on the device by examining system hardware status or running 'diagnose hardware usb'Affected if USB ports are enabled and the system recognizes USB devices - the attack requires plugging in a malicious USB drive
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Verify physical security controlsInspect the physical location of the FortiGate device and assess whether unauthorized individuals could access USB portsAffected if Physical access to USB ports is not restricted or monitored, allowing an attacker to physically connect a USB drive
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Check fnsysctl command permissionsReview the fnsysctl CLI command documentation and running 'fnsysctl ?' or checking configuration for fnsysctl-enabled profilesAffected if fnsysctl is accessible to any user account that could leverage a malicious binary linked via USB
A system is affected if it runs a FortiOS version within the affected ranges (5.2.0 and below, 5.4.0-5.4.8, or 5.6.0-5.6.2) AND has USB ports enabled AND allows physical access to the device AND fnsysctl is accessible to exploitable users.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpgrade FortiOS to version 5.6.3 or later (5.4.9 or later for 5.4 branch). If patching is not immediately possible, restrict physical access to FortiGate devices and disable USB functionality if not required.
Fix this in Fortios
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,392.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-14187 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-14187 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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