ForticlientApplication · Fortinet
CVE-2019-5589
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 · uneditedAn Unsafe Search Path vulnerability in FortiClient Online Installer (Windows version before 6.0.6) may allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker with control over the directory in which FortiClientOnlineInstaller.exe resides to execute arbitrary code on the system via uploading malicious .dll files in that directory.
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 confidenceThis is a DLL hijacking/unsafe search path vulnerability in FortiClient Online Installer for Windows (versions before 6.0.6). An attacker who can place malicious DLL files in the same directory as FortiClientOnlineInstaller.exe can achieve arbitrary code execution when a user runs the installer, as the application loads DLLs from its working directory without validating the full path.
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
ForticlientApplication
< 6.0.6CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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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Locate FortiClient Online Installer executableSearch the system for FortiClientOnlineInstaller.exe using file search or PowerShell command: Get-ChildItem -Path C:\ -Recurse -Filter "FortiClientOnlineInstaller.exe" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinueAffected if The file is found on the system (installer is present)
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Check installer versionRight-click the FortiClientOnlineInstaller.exe file, select Properties, and view the Details tab to obtain the File Version; alternatively, use PowerShell: (Get-Item "C:\path\to\FortiClientOnlineInstaller.exe").VersionInfo.FileVersionAffected if Version is lower than 6.0.6 (e.g., 6.0.4, 6.0.0, or any version not showing 6.0.6 or higher)
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Identify installer download locationCheck the directory path where the installer executable is located (obtained from step 1)Affected if The installer is stored in a user-writable directory such as Downloads, Desktop, or a shared network folder rather than a trusted system directory like Program Files
You are affected if FortiClientOnlineInstaller.exe version is found to be below 6.0.6, indicating the DLL hijacking vulnerability is present.
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 data6.0.6
Upgrade FortiClient Online Installer to version 6.0.6 or later. As a temporary mitigation, ensure the installer is only run from trusted, access-controlled directories where unauthorized DLL files cannot be placed.
Fix this in Forticlient
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-5589 — 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-2019-5589 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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- 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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