FortisdnconnectorApplication · Fortinet
CVE-2021-36178
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 · uneditedA insufficiently protected credentials in Fortinet FortiSDNConnector version 1.1.7 and below allows attacker to disclose third-party devices credential information via configuration page lookup.
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 · moderate confidenceFortiSDNConnector versions 1.1.7 and below contains insufficient protection for stored credentials. Attackers with access to the configuration page can perform a lookup that exposes third-party device credential information in plaintext or with inadequate protection.
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
FortisdnconnectorApplication
< 1.1.8CVSS 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
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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.
-
Identify FortiSDNConnector installationLocate the FortiSDNConnector application and check its version information, typically found in the application properties, about page, or installation directoryAffected if Version is 1.1.7 or below (any version less than 1.1.8)
-
Locate configuration storageFind the configuration or database file where FortiSDNConnector stores third-party device credentials, commonly in the application data or config directoryAffected if Credentials are stored without encryption or with weak/obfuscated protection rather than proper encryption
-
Assess configuration page accessCheck if the FortiSDNConnector web interface or admin configuration page is accessible and determine what authentication is required to access itAffected if The configuration page is accessible without strong authentication or is exposed to untrusted networks
-
Verify credential protection methodInspect how stored credentials are protected in the configuration files - check if they appear in plaintext or use reversible encodingAffected if Credentials are stored in plaintext, weakly encoded, or with inadequate encryption protection
A user is affected if FortiSDNConnector version 1.1.7 or below is installed AND the configuration interface storing third-party credentials is accessible to untrusted parties.
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 · scoped1.1.8
Upgrade FortiSDNConnector to a version above 1.1.7 (or apply the relevant Fortinet patch). Restrict administrative access to the configuration interface to trusted personnel only.
FortiSDNConnector 1.1.8
- Identify the current version of FortiSDNConnector currently installed
- Download FortiSDNConnector version 1.1.8 or later from Fortinet's official download portal
- Backup the current FortiSDNConnector configuration
- Upgrade FortiSDNConnector to version 1.1.8 or later
- Verify the upgrade was successful and the version is correct
- Review the configuration to ensure credentials are now properly protected
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Fortisdnconnector
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,648.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-36178 — 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-2021-36178 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
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.
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.
- 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