FortiportalApplication · Fortinet
CVE-2021-32594
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 unrestricted file upload vulnerability in the web interface of FortiPortal 6.0.0 through 6.0.4, 5.3.0 through 5.3.5, 5.2.0 through 5.2.5, and 4.2.2 and earlier may allow a low-privileged user to potentially tamper with the underlying system's files via the upload of specifically crafted files.
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 confidenceAn unrestricted file upload vulnerability in the FortiPortal web interface (versions 6.0.0-6.0.4, 5.3.0-5.3.5, 5.2.0-5.2.5, and 4.2.2 and earlier) allows a low-privileged user to upload specially crafted files that can tamper with the underlying system's files. The lack of proper validation on uploaded files enables arbitrary file write operations.
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
FortiportalApplication
>= 4.0.0, <= 4.0.4>= 4.1.0, <= 4.1.2>= 4.2.0, <= 4.2.4>= 5.0.0, <= 5.0.3>= 5.1.0, <= 5.1.2>= 5.2.0, < 5.2.6>= 5.3.0, < 5.3.6>= 6.0.0, < 6.0.5CVSS 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
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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 FortiPortal versionAccess the FortiPortal web interface and navigate to System > Settings > About, or use the CLI command 'fortiportal -v' if SSH access is available. Alternatively, check the login page footer or system information page for the version number.Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: 4.0.0-4.0.4, 4.1.0-4.1.2, 4.2.0-4.2.4, 5.0.0-5.0.3, 5.1.0-5.1.2, 5.2.0-5.2.5, 5.3.0-5.3.5, or 6.0.0-6.0.4.
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Verify web interface is accessibleConfirm that the FortiPortal web interface (HTTPS port 443 or configured port) is reachable from network locations where low-privileged users operate. Check firewall rules and reverse proxy configurations.Affected if The web interface is exposed to untrusted networks or low-privileged users have network access to the portal.
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Confirm low-privileged user accounts existLog in with a standard (non-admin) user account and verify the user role has upload permissions. Navigate to the file upload functionality in the user dashboard or profile settings.Affected if Low-privileged (read-only or standard) user accounts exist and have access to any file upload feature in the web interface.
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Check for file upload functionalityAs a low-privileged user, locate any feature that accepts file uploads such as profile picture upload, document attachment, report export, or custom theme upload. Note the allowed file types shown in the upload interface.Affected if The web interface exposes any file upload endpoint accessible to low-privileged users.
You are affected if your FortiPortal version is within the affected ranges AND the web interface is accessible to low-privileged users who have access to file upload functionality.
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 data5.2.65.3.66.0.5
Apply the vendor patch by upgrading FortiPortal to a fixed version. Restrict low-privileged user upload capabilities until the patch is applied.
Fix this in Fortiportal
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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 $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-32594 — 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-2021-32594 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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