CVE-2021-26110
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 improper access control vulnerability [CWE-284] in FortiOS autod daemon 7.0.0, 6.4.6 and below, 6.2.9 and below, 6.0.12 and below and FortiProxy 2.0.1 and below, 1.2.9 and below may allow an authenticated low-privileged attacker to escalate their privileges to super_admin via a specific crafted configuration of fabric automation CLI script and auto-script features.
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 confidenceImproper access control vulnerability in FortiOS and FortiProxy autod daemon allows authenticated low-privileged attackers to escalate to super_admin privileges by exploiting fabric automation CLI script and auto-script features.
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>= 1.0.0, <= 1.0.7>= 1.1.0, <= 1.1.6>= 1.2.0, <= 1.2.9= 2.0.0= 2.0.1>= 5.6.0, <= 5.6.14>= 6.0.0, <= 6.0.12>= 6.2.0, <= 6.2.9>= 6.4.0, <= 6.4.6= 7.0.0CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 or FortiProxy versionRun command: get system status or execute 'fortios -v' via CLI. Alternatively, check the web UI under System > Firmware or Dashboard > Status widget showing firmware version.Affected if Version matches: FortiOS 5.6.0-5.6.14, 6.0.0-6.0.12, 6.2.0-6.2.9, 6.4.0-6.4.6, or 7.0.0. FortiProxy 1.0.0-1.0.7, 1.1.0-1.1.6, 1.2.0-1.2.9, 2.0.0-2.0.1.
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Verify autod daemon is runningRun command in CLI: get system status | include autod or diagnose sys daemon list. The autod process should be visible in the daemon list.Affected if The autod daemon is present and running on the system.
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Check if fabric automation CLI script feature is configuredRun command: diagnose fabric automation list or show system automation-list. Look for automation stitches or scripts that execute CLI commands.Affected if Any fabric automation stitch with CLI script action is configured and enabled.
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Check if auto-script feature is enabledRun command: show system auto-script or get system auto-script. Examine if any auto-script entries exist with exec permission.Affected if Auto-script feature has scripts defined and is active on the device.
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Identify user privilege levels on the systemRun command: get system admin or show system admin. Review the access profile assigned to each administrative account.Affected if Low-privileged authenticated users (non-super_admin profile) exist on the system.
Environment is affected if running a vulnerable FortiOS (5.6.0-7.0.0) or FortiProxy (1.0.0-2.0.1) version with autod daemon running and fabric automation or auto-script features configured, allowing a low-privileged authenticated user to potentially escalate to super_admin.
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.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade to Fortinet patched versions (FortiOS 7.0.1+, 6.4.7+, 6.2.10+, 6.0.13+; FortiProxy 2.0.2+, 1.2.10+) or apply vendor security updates to remediate the privilege escalation in the autod daemon.
FortiOS: 6.0.13+, 6.2.10+, 6.4.7+, 7.0.1+ | FortiProxy: 1.2.10+, 2.0.2+
- 1. Identify the current FortiOS or FortiProxy version running on the device using 'get system status' CLI command.
- 2. For FortiOS: If running 6.0.x, upgrade to 6.0.13 or later; if running 6.2.x, upgrade to 6.2.10 or later; if running 6.4.x, upgrade to 6.4.7 or later; if running 7.0.x, upgrade to 7.0.1 or later.
- 3. For FortiProxy: If running 1.2.x, upgrade to 1.2.10 or later; if running 2.0.x, upgrade to 2.0.2 or later.
- 4. Download the appropriate firmware upgrade from Fortinet's support portal (fortinet.com/support).
- 5. Upload and install the firmware via 'execute upgrade' or through the web UI under System > Firmware.
- 6. After upgrade, verify the new version is installed using 'get system status' and confirm the vulnerability is resolved.
- 7. Review user privileges to ensure no unauthorized super_admin accounts were created during exploitation.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-26110 — 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-2021-26110 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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