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FortisandboxApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2024-21756

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-04-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.0.5 / 4.2.7 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
A improper neutralization of special elements used in an os command ('os command injection') vulnerability in Fortinet FortiSandbox 4.4.0 through 4.4.3, FortiSandbox 4.2.1 through 4.2.6, FortiSandbox 4.0.0 through 4.0.4 allows attacker to execute unauthorized code or commands via crafted requests..

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 FortiSandbox allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary operating system commands via specially crafted HTTP requests. This stems from insufficient input validation on user-supplied parameters that are passed to system shell commands. The vulnerability affects multiple version branches (4.0.x, 4.2.x, and 4.4.x) and enables full system compromise with the privileges of the affected service.

MitigationUpgrade FortiSandbox to the latest patched version available from Fortinet. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to the management interface and implement input validation at upstream network devices.

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
FortisandboxApplication
Affected:>= 4.0.0, < 4.0.5>= 4.2.0, < 4.2.7>= 4.4.0, < 4.4.4

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 FortiSandbox is deployed
    Identify FortiSandbox appliances or virtual machines in your environment by reviewing asset inventory, network diagrams, or by scanning for FortiSandbox HTTP/HTTPS services on common management ports (443, 80)
    Affected if FortiSandbox is present in the environment and responds to management interface requests
  2. Determine installed FortiSandbox version
    Log into the FortiSandbox admin web interface or CLI and navigate to System > Dashboard > Status, or run the command 'get system status' in the CLI to retrieve the firmware version
    Affected if The displayed version falls within 4.0.0 to 4.0.4, 4.2.0 to 4.2.6, or 4.4.0 to 4.4.3
  3. Verify management interface accessibility
    Check network access controls, firewall rules, and reverse proxies to determine whether the FortiSandbox web management interface (HTTP/HTTPS ports) is accessible from untrusted networks or the public internet
    Affected if The management interface is exposed to networks outside the trusted internal zone
  4. Confirm HTTP/HTTPS management is enabled
    In FortiSandbox CLI, run 'get system interface' to list enabled interfaces, or check via the web UI under Network > Interfaces to see which management protocols are allowed
    Affected if HTTP or HTTPS management is enabled on a reachable network interface
  5. Review recent HTTP access logs
    Examine FortiSandbox web UI logs (Log & Report > Event Logs > System) or external web server/load balancer logs for unusual or suspicious HTTP requests, especially those containing shell metacharacters (;, |, &, $`, or backticks) in URL parameters
    Affected if Unexpected or malicious HTTP requests are present in the logs targeting the management interface

The environment is affected if FortiSandbox is running a version in the ranges 4.0.0-4.0.4, 4.2.0-4.2.6, or 4.4.0-4.4.3 AND its management interface is network-accessible to potential attackers.

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 4.0.5 / 4.2.7 / 4.4.4 or later
Fixed in 4.0.54.2.74.4.4
Interim mitigation

Upgrade FortiSandbox to the latest patched version available from Fortinet. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to the management interface and implement input validation at upstream network devices.

Recommended fix High confidence

FortiSandbox 4.0.5, 4.2.7, or 4.4.4 (depending on your current branch)

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed FortiSandbox version using the web UI or CLI command: get system status
  2. 2. Based on your current version branch, plan the upgrade to the fixed release:
  3. - If running 4.0.x: upgrade to version 4.0.5 or later
  4. - If running 4.2.x: upgrade to version 4.2.7 or later
  5. - If running 4.4.x: upgrade to version 4.4.4 or later
  6. 3. Download the firmware from Fortinet's support portal (https://support.fortinet.com)
  7. 4. Back up the FortiSandbox configuration before upgrading
  8. 5. Upload the firmware through the FortiSandbox web UI (System > Firmware) or via CLI: execute firmware upgrade
Caveat Review Fortinet release notes for your upgrade path for any known issues; minor version upgrades within the same branch are typically low-risk

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

Fix this in Fortisandbox Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2024-21756 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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