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ForticlientApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2022-33877

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-06-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 7.0.6 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 incorrect default permission [CWE-276] vulnerability in FortiClient (Windows) versions 7.0.0 through 7.0.6 and 6.4.0 through 6.4.8 and FortiConverter (Windows) versions 6.2.0 through 6.2.1, 7.0.0 and all versions of 6.0.0 may allow a local authenticated attacker to tamper with files in the installation folder, if FortiClient or FortiConverter is installed in an insecure folder.

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 a CWE-276 (Incorrect Default Permissions) vulnerability where FortiClient and FortiConverter for Windows are installed with overly permissive file access rights in their installation folders. When installed in an insecure/non-standard folder location, an authenticated local attacker can modify, replace, or tamper with executable files and configurations in the installation directory.

MitigationInstall FortiClient and FortiConverter in a secure, standard Windows directory location (e.g., Program Files) with proper restrictive NTFS permissions, or manually remediate the permissions on the existing installation folder to remove write access for non-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
ForticlientApplication
Affected:>= 6.4.0, <= 6.4.8>= 7.0.0, <= 7.0.6
ForticonverterApplication
Affected:>= 6.0.0, <= 6.0.3= 6.2.0= 6.2.1= 7.0.0

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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 FortiClient or FortiConverter installation
    Check for installed programs by querying the Windows Registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\ for DisplayName containing 'FortiClient' or 'FortiConverter', or inspect the default installation paths C:\Program Files\Fortinet\ and C:\Program Files (x86)\Fortinet\
    Affected if Either FortiClient or FortiConverter is present on the system
  2. Determine installed version
    Read the version from the registry value 'DisplayVersion' under the product's Uninstall registry key, or right-click the main executable (e.g., FortiClient.exe or FortiConverter.exe) in the installation folder and view Properties > Details
    Affected if The version falls within 6.4.0-6.4.8 or 7.0.0-7.0.6 for FortiClient, or within 6.0.0-6.0.3, 6.2.0-6.2.1, or 7.0.0 for FortiConverter
  3. Locate installation directory
    Read the 'InstallLocation' value from the product's Uninstall registry key, or locate the folder containing FortiClient.exe or FortiConverter.exe
    Affected if The installation folder is outside the standard Windows directories (Program Files or Program Files x86)
  4. Check NTFS permissions on installation folder
    Right-click the installation folder, select Properties > Security, and examine the permissions for Users orAuthenticated Users groups; or run 'icacls <install_folder>' from an elevated command prompt to list effective permissions
    Affected if Non-privileged user accounts (Users group, Authenticated Users, or standard users) are granted Write or Modify permissions to the installation folder or its subfolders containing executable files

The system is affected if FortiClient (version 6.4.0-6.4.8 or 7.0.0-7.0.6) or FortiConverter (version 6.0.0-6.0.3, 6.2.0-6.2.1, or 7.0.0) is installed in a non-standard directory with overly permissive NTFS permissions allowing non-privileged users to write to executable files.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 7.0.6
Interim mitigation

Install FortiClient and FortiConverter in a secure, standard Windows directory location (e.g., Program Files) with proper restrictive NTFS permissions, or manually remediate the permissions on the existing installation folder to remove write access for non-privileged users.

Fix this in Forticlient Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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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-2022-33877 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