ForticlientApplication · Fortinet
CVE-2023-33304
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 · uneditedA use of hard-coded credentials vulnerability in Fortinet FortiClient Windows 7.0.0 - 7.0.9 and 7.2.0 - 7.2.1 allows an attacker to bypass system protections via the use of static credentials.
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 confidenceFortiClient Windows versions 7.0.0-7.0.9 and 7.2.0-7.2.1 contain hard-coded credentials embedded in the software that can be extracted and used to bypass system protection mechanisms. An attacker with knowledge of these static credentials can authenticate to protected features or systems that rely on FortiClient's authentication.
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
>= 7.0.0, <= 7.0.9= 7.2.0= 7.2.1CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Check FortiClient versionOpen FortiClient, click the gear icon or hamburger menu, then go to About or Settings to view the version number. Alternatively, open Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, find FortiClient, and note the version column.Affected if Version is 7.0.0 through 7.0.9, or exactly 7.2.0 or 7.2.1
-
Confirm FortiClient Windows editionVerify the installed product is FortiClient for Windows (not macOS or Linux). Check the program name in Programs and Features or the application name in the Start menu.Affected if Running Windows version of FortiClient in the affected version range
-
Verify endpoint protection statusOpen FortiClient and check if the firewall, antivirus, or VPN modules are enabled and connected to a FortiGate or EMS. The hardcoded credentials could be used to access these protected features.Affected if Any FortiClient protection or VPN modules are active on the affected version
You are affected if FortiClient Windows version is 7.0.0-7.0.9, 7.2.0, or 7.2.1.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scopedUpdate FortiClient Windows to version 7.0.10 or 7.2.2 or later to remove the hard-coded credentials. Verify no credentials are present in configurations or deployments.
FortiClient 7.0.10 or later, or 7.2.2 or later
- 1. Verify the current FortiClient version installed on the Windows system
- 2. Download FortiClient version 7.0.10 or later (for 7.0.x branch users) or version 7.2.2 or later (for 7.2.x branch users) from the Fortinet Customer Support Portal
- 3. Uninstall the current vulnerable FortiClient version
- 4. Install the updated FortiClient version
- 5. Verify the new version is running and confirm the hard-coded credentials are no longer present
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
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-33304 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-33304 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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