dbcve.org
ForticlientApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2022-42470

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-04-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.0.8 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
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 relative path traversal vulnerability in Fortinet FortiClient (Windows) 7.0.0 - 7.0.7, 6.4.0 - 6.4.9, 6.2.0 - 6.2.9 and 6.0.0 - 6.0.10 allows an attacker to execute unauthorized code or commands via sending a crafted request to a specific named pipe.

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

A relative path traversal vulnerability in FortiClient Windows versions 7.0.0-7.0.7, 6.4.0-6.4.9, 6.2.0-6.2.9, and 6.0.0-6.0.10 allows attackers to execute unauthorized code or commands by sending crafted requests to a specific named pipe. The vulnerability exploits insufficient path validation when the application processes input directed at named pipe endpoints.

MitigationUpgrade FortiClient Windows to version 7.0.8 or later (or the latest available version) which contains the patched fix for this vulnerability. Apply any interim network segmentation or access controls to limit exposure until the update can be deployed.

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:>= 6.0.0, <= 6.0.10>= 6.2.0, <= 6.2.9>= 6.4.0, <= 6.4.9>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.8

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/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. Confirm FortiClient Windows is installed
    Open Programs and Features (appwiz.cpl) or check C:\Program Files\Fortinet\FortiClient for the FortiClient application folder
    Affected if FortiClient Windows is present on the system
  2. Identify installed FortiClient version
    Right-click FortiClient icon in system tray, select About, or check the version displayed in the FortiClient application Help > About menu
    Affected if The displayed version falls within 6.0.0-6.0.10, 6.2.0-6.2.9, 6.4.0-6.4.9, or 7.0.0-7.0.7
  3. Compare version against affected ranges
    If version cannot be determined via GUI, check registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Fortinet\FortiClient\CurrentVersion or file version of FortiClient.exe in the installation directory
    Affected if Installed version is lower than 7.0.8 and matches the affected branch (6.0.x, 6.2.x, 6.4.x, or 7.0.x)
  4. Verify named pipe exposure
    Use PowerShell command Get-Process | Where-Object {$_.ProcessName -like '*FortiClient*'} to confirm FortiClient processes are running, which indicates the named pipe service may be active
    Affected if FortiClient processes are running and version is within the affected range

The system is affected if FortiClient Windows is installed with a version between 6.0.0-6.0.10, 6.2.0-6.2.9, 6.4.0-6.4.9, or 7.0.0-7.0.7 and the FortiClient service is active.

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 7.0.8 or later
Fixed in 7.0.8
Interim mitigation

Upgrade FortiClient Windows to version 7.0.8 or later (or the latest available version) which contains the patched fix for this vulnerability. Apply any interim network segmentation or access controls to limit exposure until the update can be deployed.

Recommended fix High confidence

7.0.8 or later (for the 7.0.x branch)

  1. Upgrade FortiClient for Windows to version 7.0.8 or later. Download the latest version from Fortinet's official support portal or trusted distribution channels.
  2. After upgrading, verify the installation by checking Help > About FortiClient to confirm the version number.
Caveat Point release upgrade; minimal expected breaking changes. Review release notes for any configuration or feature adjustments.

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

Fix this in Forticlient Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2022-42470 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