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FortiosOperating system · Fortinet

CVE-2021-41032

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-05-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.4.9 / 7.0.4 or later.
See remediation →
60/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 access control vulnerability [CWE-284] in FortiOS versions 6.4.8 and prior and 7.0.3 and prior may allow an authenticated attacker with a restricted user profile to gather sensitive information and modify the SSL-VPN tunnel status of other VDOMs using specific CLI commands.

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 improper access control vulnerability in FortiOS where an authenticated user with a restricted user profile can bypass intended permissions to gather sensitive information and modify SSL-VPN tunnel status of other VDOMs using specific CLI commands. The vulnerability stems from insufficient enforcement of the restricted profile's access boundaries.

MitigationUpgrade FortiOS to versions 6.4.9 or later and 7.0.4 or later. Additionally, review and tighten user profile configurations to ensure restricted users cannot access resources outside their designated VDOM.

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
FortiosOperating system
Affected:>= 6.2.0, < 6.4.9>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.4

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
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/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 checks

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

  1. Identify the FortiOS version
    Run the command 'get system status' or 'fwmon -version' on the FortiGate CLI to retrieve the firmware version
    Affected if The version falls within 6.2.0 to 6.4.8 inclusive, or 7.0.0 to 7.0.3 inclusive
  2. Check for restricted user profiles
    Run 'get system admin profile' to list all admin profiles and identify any with limited or restricted permissions
    Affected if There exists a restricted user profile configured with limited access permissions
  3. Verify SSL-VPN is configured
    Run 'get vpn ssl settings' and 'show vpn ssl web portal' to check if SSL-VPN is enabled and which portals exist
    Affected if SSL-VPN is enabled and accessible to the restricted user profiles
  4. Check VDOM configuration
    Run 'get system vdom' and 'show system vdom' to list all VDOMs configured on the device
    Affected if Multiple VDOMs are configured on the FortiGate
  5. Review user profile VDOM assignments
    Run 'show system admin' to examine which VDOMs each admin user is assigned access to, particularly those with restricted profiles
    Affected if A restricted profile user has access to more than one VDOM or access to VDOMs they should not have access to

A user is affected if the FortiOS version is in the affected range AND a restricted user profile exists with access to SSL-VPN and multiple VDOMs where bypass is possible.

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 6.4.9 / 7.0.4 or later
Fixed in 6.4.97.0.4
Interim mitigation

Upgrade FortiOS to versions 6.4.9 or later and 7.0.4 or later. Additionally, review and tighten user profile configurations to ensure restricted users cannot access resources outside their designated VDOM.

Recommended fix High confidence

FortiOS 6.4.9 or later (6.4.x); FortiOS 7.0.4 or later (7.0.x)

  1. 1. Back up the current FortiOS configuration using 'execute backup config' or FortiManager.
  2. 2. Verify the current FortiOS version using 'get system status' in CLI.
  3. 3. For FortiOS 6.2.x-6.4.8: Schedule an upgrade to FortiOS 6.4.9 or later (preferably 6.4.x latest stable).
  4. 4. For FortiOS 7.0.x-7.0.3: Schedule an upgrade to FortiOS 7.0.4 or later (preferably 7.0.x latest stable).
  5. 5. Download the firmware from Fortinet Customer Support portal (https://support.fortinet.com/).
  6. 6. Upload the firmware via 'execute upgrade' in CLI or via FortiOS GUI under System > Firmware.
  7. 7. Verify the upgrade was successful and configuration intact using 'get system status'.
  8. 8. Review user profiles and SSL-VPN configurations to ensure restricted profiles do not have unintended access.
Caveat Minor version upgrades typically retain configuration compatibility; review FortiOS 6.4.9 and 7.0.4 release notes for any behavioral changes or deprecated features before upgrading

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

Fix this in Fortios Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2021-41032 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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