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FortiwebApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2021-36182

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.3.14 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
A Improper neutralization of special elements used in a command ('Command Injection') in Fortinet FortiWeb version 6.3.13 and below allows attacker to execute unauthorized code or commands via 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 · moderate confidence

Command injection vulnerability in Fortinet FortiWeb web application firewall allowing remote code execution via crafted HTTP requests to the management interface. The flaw permits attackers to inject OS-level commands through insufficient input validation.

MitigationApply Fortinet's security update for FortiWeb version 6.3.13 or later; restrict management interface access to trusted networks and implement network segmentation to reduce exposure.

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
FortiwebApplication
Affected:<= 6.2.4>= 6.3.0, < 6.3.14

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
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 FortiWeb version
    Access the FortiWeb management interface and navigate to System > Status, or run 'get system status' via CLI to retrieve the installed firmware version
    Affected if Version is <= 6.2.4 or >= 6.3.0 and < 6.3.14
  2. Verify management interface exposure
    Check network configuration to determine if the FortiWeb management interface (HTTP/HTTPS on ports 80/443 or custom mgmt ports) is accessible from untrusted networks
    Affected if Management interface is reachable from external or untrusted networks
  3. Review management interface access logs
    Examine FortiWeb logs under Log & Report > Event Log > System for suspicious commands or unexpected administrative actions, particularly from IP addresses not in your allowlist
    Affected if Unexpected commands or unauthorized admin sessions are present
  4. Check for unauthorized processes or files
    If CLI access is available, run 'diagnose system top' or 'diagnose hardware cpu' to identify unusual processes, and review '/var/log' directories for unexpected scripts or binaries
    Affected if Unknown processes or suspicious scripts exist on the system

A user is affected if their FortiWeb version is 6.3.0 through 6.3.13 or any version 6.2.4 or earlier AND the management interface is network-accessible to untrusted users.

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 6.3.14 or later
Fixed in 6.3.14
Interim mitigation

Apply Fortinet's security update for FortiWeb version 6.3.13 or later; restrict management interface access to trusted networks and implement network segmentation to reduce exposure.

Recommended fix High confidence

FortiWeb 6.3.14 or later (recommended: latest 6.3.x stable release)

  1. 1. Identify the current FortiWeb version by navigating to System > Firmware in the FortiWeb management console
  2. 2. Download the FortiWeb firmware version 6.3.14 or later (or the latest 6.3.x stable release) from Fortinet's support portal at https://support.fortinet.com/
  3. 3. Back up the FortiWeb configuration from Dashboard > Maintenance > Backup & Restore
  4. 4. Upload the new firmware image via System > Firmware > Upgrade
  5. 5. Reboot the FortiWeb appliance to apply the firmware update
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade was successful and confirm the new version in System > Status
Caveat Review FortiWeb release notes for any configuration or behavioral changes between your current version and the target version before upgrading

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

Fix this in Fortiweb Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,480
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,968.

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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-2021-36182 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