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FortiosOperating system · Fortinet

CVE-2021-44171

HIGH · 8.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-10-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 7.0.3 or later.
See remediation →
82/100
Remediation priority · High
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 an os command ('os command injection') in Fortinet FortiOS version 6.0.0 through 6.0.14, FortiOS version 6.2.0 through 6.2.10, FortiOS version 6.4.0 through 6.4.8, FortiOS version 7.0.0 through 7.0.3 allows attacker to execute privileged commands on a linked FortiSwitch via diagnostic 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

OS command injection vulnerability in FortiOS allows authenticated attackers to execute privileged commands on linked FortiSwitch devices through diagnostic CLI commands due to improper neutralization of special elements in user-supplied input.

MitigationUpgrade FortiOS to versions 6.0.15, 6.2.11, 6.4.9, or 7.0.4 and later. Additionally, restrict administrative access to trusted IP addresses and limit the number of privileged users.

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:>= 6.0.0, <= 6.0.14>= 6.2.0, <= 6.2.10>= 6.4.0, <= 6.4.8>= 7.0.0, <= 7.0.3

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
Adjacent
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/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. Determine installed FortiOS version
    Run the command 'get system status' or 'fortios -v' via CLI or check the web interface under Dashboard > Status
    Affected if The version displayed falls within 6.0.0-6.0.14, 6.2.0-6.2.10, 6.4.0-6.4.8, or 7.0.0-7.0.3
  2. Verify FortiSwitch linkage
    Check the FortiGate management interface under Network > FortiSwitch or run 'get switch-controller managed-switch'
    Affected if Any FortiSwitch devices are listed as managed or linked to the FortiOS device
  3. Confirm diagnostic CLI accessibility
    Verify that diagnostic commands are available to authenticated users by reviewing admin profiles and user privileges under System > Administrators
    Affected if The affected user has an admin profile with CLI diagnostic access (such as 'sudo' or custom profiles allowing diagnostic commands)
  4. Check for untrusted administrative access
    Review the trusted host settings for administrative accounts under System > Administrators or via 'show system admin'
    Affected if Administrative accounts have source IP restrictions set to untrusted or broad ranges (0.0.0.0/0)

A system is affected if FortiOS version is within the listed vulnerable ranges AND at least one FortiSwitch is linked AND an authenticated user with diagnostic CLI access exists, particularly with weak source IP restrictions.

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 a release after 7.0.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade FortiOS to versions 6.0.15, 6.2.11, 6.4.9, or 7.0.4 and later. Additionally, restrict administrative access to trusted IP addresses and limit the number of privileged users.

Recommended fix High confidence

FortiOS 7.0.4 or later (or latest 6.0.15+/6.2.11+/6.4.9+ for respective branches)

  1. 1. Identify the current FortiOS version running on the FortiGate device using the CLI command: get system status
  2. 2. Determine the appropriate upgrade path based on the current version (6.0.x, 6.2.x, 6.4.x, or 7.0.x)
  3. 3. Download the corresponding fixed FortiOS firmware from Fortinet's support portal (fortinet.com/support)
  4. 4. Backup the current FortiGate configuration using: execute backup full-config tftp <tftp-server-ip> <filename>
  5. 5. Upload the new firmware via the web UI (System > Firmware) or CLI: execute restore image tftp <tftp-server-ip> <filename>
  6. 6. Reboot the device to apply the new firmware: execute reboot
  7. 7. After reboot, verify the upgrade was successful and the new version is running: get system status
  8. 8. Verify the vulnerability is remediated by confirming the device is running a fixed version (6.0.15+, 6.2.11+, 6.4.9+, or 7.0.4+)
Caveat Review Fortinet release notes for the target version to check for configuration or feature changes that may require adjustments

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
  • Testing5.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,790
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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-2021-44171 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