dbcve.org
FortiportalApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2021-36172

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-11-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.3.7 / 6.0.6 or later.
See remediation →
87/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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 restriction of XML external entity reference vulnerability in the parser of XML responses of FortiPortal before 6.0.6 may allow an attacker who controls the producer of XML reports consumed by FortiPortal to trigger a denial of service or read arbitrary files from the underlying file system by means of specifically crafted XML documents.

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

This is an XML External Entity (XXE) injection vulnerability in FortiPortal's XML response parser. An attacker who can control the XML content produced and consumed by FortiPortal can embed malicious external entity references in XML documents. This allows the parser to read arbitrary files from the server's filesystem or cause denial of service by triggering resource exhaustion through recursive entity expansion.

MitigationUpgrade FortiPortal to version 6.0.6 or later, and ensure that XML parsers are configured to disable external entity processing. Verify that any third-party or integrated systems producing XML reports for FortiPortal are trusted and not subject to attacker control.

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

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 FortiPortal version
    Locate the installed FortiPortal version through the administrative interface or system files. Check the /opt/fortiportal or similar installation directory for version information, or access the FortiPortal GUI System Settings > About page.
    Affected if The installed version falls within these ranges: 4.0.0 to 4.0.4, 4.1.0 to 4.1.2, 4.2.0 to 4.2.4, 5.0.0 to 5.0.3, 5.1.0 to 5.1.2, 5.2.0 to 5.2.6, 5.3.0 to 5.3.6, or 6.0.0 to 6.0.5.
  2. Determine if XML content is processed
    Identify if FortiPortal is configured to import, parse, or generate XML documents. Review XML-based report configurations, data import settings, or any third-party integrations that feed XML data into FortiPortal.
    Affected if FortiPortal processes XML documents from untrusted or attacker-controlled sources.
  3. Inspect XML parser configuration
    Examine FortiPortal configuration files for XML parser settings. Look for parser configuration related to external entity processing, typically in XML processing or data import configuration files.
    Affected if The XML parser has external entity processing enabled or not explicitly disabled.
  4. Audit XML data sources
    Review all systems and integrations that provide XML content to FortiPortal. Verify whether any of these sources could be influenced or controlled by an attacker.
    Affected if XML data originates from untrusted or potentially compromised sources.

You are affected if FortiPortal is running any version from 4.0.0 to 6.0.5 and processes XML content from sources that could be controlled by an attacker.

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 5.3.7 / 6.0.6 or later
Fixed in 5.3.76.0.6
Interim mitigation

Upgrade FortiPortal to version 6.0.6 or later, and ensure that XML parsers are configured to disable external entity processing. Verify that any third-party or integrated systems producing XML reports for FortiPortal are trusted and not subject to attacker control.

Recommended fix High confidence

6.0.6

  1. 1. Back up the current FortiPortal configuration and data before initiating the upgrade.
  2. 2. Review FortiPortal upgrade documentation for your current version to ensure compatibility with version 6.0.6.
  3. 3. Download FortiPortal version 6.0.6 from the Fortinet Customer Support portal (https://support.fortinet.com).
  4. 4. Stop all FortiPortal services prior to upgrade.
  5. 5. Execute the upgrade installer for FortiPortal 6.0.6, following the official upgrade procedure for your deployment mode (standalone or cluster).
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade completed successfully by checking the FortiPortal version in the administrative interface.
  7. 7. Validate that FortiPortal services are running correctly and XML report processing functions normally.
Caveat Review FortiPortal 6.0.6 release notes for any configuration changes or migration requirements from your specific preceding version.

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

Fix this in Fortiportal Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.

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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-2021-36172 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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