FortiauthenticatorApplication · Fortinet
CVE-2021-24005
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 · uneditedUsage of hard-coded cryptographic keys to encrypt configuration files and debug logs in FortiAuthenticator versions before 6.3.0 may allow an attacker with access to the files or the CLI configuration to decrypt the sensitive data, via knowledge of the hard-coded key.
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 confidenceFortiAuthenticator versions before 6.3.0 used hard-coded cryptographic keys to encrypt configuration files and debug logs. An attacker with access to these encrypted files or the CLI configuration can decrypt sensitive data by using the publicly known hard-coded key, exposing potentially confidential information.
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
FortiauthenticatorApplication
>= 6.0.0, < 6.3.0CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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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Check FortiAuthenticator versionRun 'get system status' via CLI or check the web UI dashboard for the firmware versionAffected if Version is 6.0.0 through 6.2.x (any build before 6.3.0)
-
Identify configuration filesLocate configuration export files typically stored in /var/opt/fortiauthenticator/backup/ or accessed via 'execute backup config' CLI commandAffected if Encrypted configuration backup files exist on the system
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Check debug log filesLocate debug logs in /var/log/fortiauthenticator/ or via 'execute debug' commandsAffected if Debug log files exist that may contain encrypted sensitive data
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Verify file access controlsReview file permissions on configuration and log directories using 'ls -la' to determine if unauthorized users could read these filesAffected if Configuration files or debug logs are readable by non-privileged users or accessible via backup/export
A system is affected if FortiAuthenticator version is 6.0.0 to 6.2.x AND configuration backup files or debug logs exist and could be accessed by an attacker.
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 data6.3.0
Upgrade FortiAuthenticator to version 6.3.0 or later which removes the hard-coded keys. Until then, restrict access to configuration files and logs to prevent unauthorized disclosure.
Fix this in Fortiauthenticator
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $2,512.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-24005 — 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-2021-24005 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data