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FortimailApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2021-32586

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-03-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.0.12 / 6.2.8 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
An improper input validation vulnerability in the web server CGI facilities of FortiMail before 7.0.1 may allow an unauthenticated attacker to alter the environment of the underlying script interpreter via specifically crafted HTTP requests.

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

Improper input validation in FortiMail's web server CGI facilities allows unauthenticated attackers to send crafted HTTP requests that can alter the environment variables of the underlying script interpreter. This is a classic CGI environment variable injection vulnerability with network-exploitable remote code execution potential given the CVSS 9.8 rating.

MitigationUpgrade FortiMail to version 7.0.1 or later to patch the input validation vulnerability in the CGI component. If immediate patching is not possible, consider restricting access to the web interface via network ACLs or disabling CGI services if not required.

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
FortimailApplication
Affected:<= 5.4.12>= 6.0.0, < 6.0.12>= 6.2.0, < 6.2.8>= 6.4.0, < 6.4.6= 7.0.0

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
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checks

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

  1. Identify FortiMail firmware version
    Log into the FortiMail CLI and run: 'get system status' or access the web GUI and check System > FortiGuard > Firmware. Alternatively, check the welcome page or about section in the web interface.
    Affected if The installed version matches any of these ranges: <= 5.4.12, >= 6.0.0 and < 6.0.12, >= 6.2.0 and < 6.2.8, >= 6.4.0 and < 6.4.6, or exactly 7.0.0
  2. Verify web management interface is enabled
    In the FortiMail CLI, run: 'show system interface' or check through the web GUI under Network > Interfaces to confirm the management interface has 'HTTPS' or 'HTTP' administrative access enabled.
    Affected if Administrative access via HTTP or HTTPS is enabled on any interface (this makes the CGI component externally reachable)
  3. Confirm CGI service accessibility
    Send a benign HTTP request to the FortiMail device on port 443 or 80 to the /cgi-bin/ path or any known CGI endpoint. Example: curl -k https://<fortimail-ip>/cgi-bin/
    Affected if The CGI endpoint responds or returns any HTTP status (indicating the service is exposed)
  4. Check network exposure of the web interface
    Review firewall policies or network access lists to determine if the FortiMail web interface (ports 80/443) is accessible from untrusted networks or the internet.
    Affected if The web interface is accessible from untrusted networks or the internet without ACL restrictions

You are affected if your FortiMail version falls within the vulnerable ranges listed and the web CGI interface is network-accessible.

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 6.0.12 / 6.2.8 / 6.4.6 or later
Fixed in 6.0.126.2.86.4.6
Interim mitigation

Upgrade FortiMail to version 7.0.1 or later to patch the input validation vulnerability in the CGI component. If immediate patching is not possible, consider restricting access to the web interface via network ACLs or disabling CGI services if not required.

Recommended fix High confidence

FortiMail 7.0.1 or later

  1. 1. Back up FortiMail configuration, mail databases, and any custom settings.
  2. 2. Review FortiMail release notes for version 7.0.1 to understand new features and any configuration changes.
  3. 3. Access FortiMail web UI or CLI with administrative credentials.
  4. 4. Navigate to System > Maintenance > Firmware or use the 'execute upgrade' command in CLI.
  5. 5. Upload firmware image for FortiMail 7.0.1 or later from Fortinet support portal.
  6. 6. Initiate the firmware upgrade and allow the system to reboot.
  7. 7. After reboot, verify the firmware version is 7.0.1 or later via System > Dashboard > Status or 'get system status' command.
  8. 8. Verify all services (SMTP, IMAP, POP3, web UI) are functioning correctly.
Caveat Major version upgrade from 5.x/6.x to 7.x may introduce feature changes; review release notes and test in staging environment before production deployment

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

Fix this in Fortimail Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2021-32586 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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