FortianalyzerApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2021-32589

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-19

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.3.7 / 5.6.11 or later.

See remediation →

100/100

Remediation priority · Urgent

Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

A Use After Free (CWE-416) vulnerability in FortiManager version 7.0.0, version 6.4.5 and below, version 6.2.7 and below, version 6.0.10 and below, version 5.6.10 and below, version 5.4.7 and below, version 5.2.10 and below, version 5.0.12 and below and FortiAnalyzer version 7.0.0, version 6.4.5 and below, version 6.2.7 and below, version 6.0.10 and below, version 5.6.10 and below, version 5.4.7 and below, version 5.3.11, version 5.2.10 to 5.2.4 fgfmsd daemon may allow a remote, non-authenticated attacker to execute unauthorized code as root via sending a specifically crafted request to the fgfm port of the targeted device.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A Use After Free (UAF) vulnerability in the fgfmsd daemon of FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer allows a remote, unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code as root by sending specially crafted requests to the fgfm port.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patches by upgrading FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer to the fixed versions (7.0.1 or later, 6.4.6 or later, 6.2.8 or later, 6.0.11 or later, 5.6.11 or later, 5.4.8 or later, 5.2.11 or later, and 5.3.12). If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to the fgfm port from untrusted sources.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

FortianalyzerApplication

Affected:>= 5.2.4, < 5.6.11>= 6.0.0, < 6.0.11>= 6.2.0, < 6.2.8>= 6.4.0, < 6.4.6= 7.0.0

FortimanagerApplication

Affected:>= 5.0.0, < 5.6.11>= 6.0.0, < 6.0.11>= 6.2.0, < 6.2.8>= 6.4.0, < 6.4.6= 7.0.0

FortiportalApplication

Affected:>= 4.0.0, < 5.3.7>= 6.0.0, < 6.0.6

CVSS breakdown

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?

dbcve checks

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

Identify the Fortinet product

Determine if the system is running FortiManager, FortiAnalyzer, or FortiPortal by checking system information, process lists, or product-specific files/services

Affected if Product is FortiManager, FortiAnalyzer, or FortiPortal and the version is in the affected ranges
Determine the installed version

Use system commands or check product-specific files to obtain the exact version number installed (for example, 'diag -v' command or version display utilities)

Affected if Installed version falls within any of the affected ranges: FortiAnalyzer >= 5.2.4 but < 5.6.11, >= 6.0.0 but < 6.0.11, >= 6.2.0 but < 6.2.8, >= 6.4.0 but < 6.4.6, or = 7.0.0; FortiManager >= 5.0.0 but < 5.6.11, >= 6.0.0 but < 6.0.11, >= 6.2.0 but < 6.2.8, >= 6.4.0 but < 6.4.6, or = 7.0.0; FortiPorta
Verify fgfmsd daemon is running

Check running processes for fgfmsd or examine listening network ports (the fgfm service typically listens on port 541)

Affected if The fgfmsd daemon is active and the fgfm port is listening
Check network exposure of fgfm port

Examine firewall rules, access lists, or network configuration to determine if the fgfm port is accessible from untrusted network sources

Affected if The fgfm port is reachable from network segments that are not trusted or are exposed to untrusted users

The environment is affected if it runs a vulnerable FortiManager, FortiAnalyzer, or FortiPortal version within the affected ranges AND has the fgfmsd daemon running with the fgfm port network-accessible.

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

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.3.7 / 5.6.11 / 6.0.6 or later

Fixed in 5.3.75.6.116.0.6

Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patches by upgrading FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer to the fixed versions (7.0.1 or later, 6.4.6 or later, 6.2.8 or later, 6.0.11 or later, 5.6.11 or later, 5.4.8 or later, 5.2.11 or later, and 5.3.12). If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to the fgfm port from untrusted sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

FortiAnalyzer: upgrade to 5.6.11, 6.0.11, 6.2.8, 6.4.6, or 7.0.1+ | FortiManager: upgrade to 5.6.11, 6.0.11, 6.2.8, 6.4.6, or 7.0.1+ | FortiPortal: upgrade to 5.3.7, 6.0.6, or later

1. Identify the currently running FortiAnalyzer, FortiManager, or FortiPortal version using the CLI command: get system status
2. Determine the appropriate upgrade path based on current version (major version upgrades may require intermediate steps)
3. Download the fixed firmware from Fortinet customer support portal: https://support.fortinet.com/
4. Backup the current configuration before upgrade
5. Upload the fixed firmware version via GUI: System > Firmware > Upload or via CLI: execute restore config <backup_file>
6. Reboot the device after firmware installation completes
7. Verify the new version is running: get system status
8. Confirm the fgfmsd daemon is operational and the vulnerability is resolved

Caveat Major version upgrades (e.g., 5.x to 6.x, 6.x to 7.x) may require configuration changes and downtime; review Fortinet upgrade guides before proceeding

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

Fix this in Fortianalyzer Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation4.0 h
Implementation8.0 h
Testing6.0 h
Review / QA2.0 h

20.0 hours of engineering $3,500

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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

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References

Primary sources

fortiguard.fortinet.comVendor Advisory
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-32589 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2021-32589?

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

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to 5.3.7 / 5.6.11 or later

Severity 9.8 Critical

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 8.7%

Affects: Fortianalyzer

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Fortianalyzer 20 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $3,500

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2021-32589 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References