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Forticlient Endpoint Management ServerApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2020-15941

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-10-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.2.9 / 6.4.2 or later.
See remediation →
60/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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 · unedited
A path traversal vulnerability [CWE-22] in FortiClientEMS versions 6.4.1 and below; 6.2.8 and below may allow an authenticated attacker to inject directory traversal character sequences to add/delete the files of the server via the name parameter of Deployment Packages.

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 confidence

A path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22) in FortiClientEMS versions 6.4.1 and below; 6.2.8 and below allows authenticated attackers to inject directory traversal character sequences (e.g., ../) through the name parameter in Deployment Packages, potentially allowing unauthorized file creation or deletion on the server filesystem outside the intended directory.

MitigationUpgrade FortiClientEMS to version 6.4.2 or 6.2.9 or later. In the interim, restrict access to the EMS management console to trusted users only and monitor for deployment package names containing traversal sequences such as '../' or '..\'.

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
Forticlient Endpoint Management ServerApplication
Affected:< 6.2.9>= 6.4.0, < 6.4.2

CVSS 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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
Low

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify FortiClientEMS version
    Log into the EMS management console and navigate to the About or System Information page to view the installed software version. Alternatively, check the installer file or the software release notes documentation.
    Affected if The version displayed is 6.4.1 or lower, or 6.2.8 or lower (versions below 6.2.9 or below 6.4.2).
  2. Confirm Deployment Packages feature is in use
    Navigate to the Deployment Packages section in the EMS console to see if any packages have been created or configured on the server.
    Affected if Deployment Packages are created or managed on the EMS server, as the vulnerability is exploited through the name parameter in this feature.
  3. Inspect existing deployment package names for traversal sequences
    Review all deployment package names listed in the EMS console for suspicious patterns such as '../', '..\', or other directory traversal character sequences.
    Affected if Any deployment package name contains '../' or '..\' patterns, indicating potential exploitation.
  4. Review EMS server filesystem for unauthorized files
    Examine the EMS server's filesystem, particularly directories outside the expected deployment package storage folder, for unexpected or newly created files that may have been written via traversal sequences.
    Affected if Files exist in directories outside the intended deployment package directory, suggesting the vulnerability may have been exploited.

A user is affected if the installed FortiClientEMS version is 6.4.1 or below, or 6.2.8 or below, and the Deployment Packages feature is accessible or has been used.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 6.2.9 / 6.4.2 or later
Fixed in 6.2.96.4.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade FortiClientEMS to version 6.4.2 or 6.2.9 or later. In the interim, restrict access to the EMS management console to trusted users only and monitor for deployment package names containing traversal sequences such as '../' or '..\'.

Recommended fix High confidence

FortiClient EMS 6.2.9 (for 6.2.x branch) or 6.4.2 (for 6.4.x branch) or later

  1. 1. Identify the current FortiClient EMS version by accessing the management console and navigating to System Settings > About or using the CLI command 'get system status'
  2. 2. If running version 6.2.x: Plan upgrade to version 6.2.9 or later
  3. 3. If running version 6.4.0 or 6.4.1: Plan upgrade to version 6.4.2 or later
  4. 4. Before upgrading, backup the FortiClient EMS configuration via System Settings > Backup & Restore or CLI command 'execute backup full-config'
  5. 5. Download the appropriate upgrade image from Fortinet support portal (support.fortinet.com)
  6. 6. Apply the upgrade via the management console (System Settings > Firmware) or CLI using 'execute restore image <tftp/ftp>'
  7. 7. After upgrade completes, verify the version and confirm the vulnerability is patched
  8. 8. Test that Deployment Package creation/modification functionality works correctly

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Forticlient Endpoint Management Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,780
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-15941 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data