dbcve.org
ForticlientApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2024-31489

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-09-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.0.12 / 7.2.3 or later.
See remediation →
90/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
AAn improper certificate validation vulnerability [CWE-295] in FortiClientWindows 7.2.0 through 7.2.2, 7.0.0 through 7.0.11, FortiClientLinux 7.2.0, 7.0.0 through 7.0.11 and FortiClientMac 7.0.0 through 7.0.11, 7.2.0 through 7.2.4 may allow a remote and unauthenticated attacker to perform a Man-in-the-Middle attack on the communication channel between the FortiGate and the FortiClient during the ZTNA tunnel creation

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

FortiClient versions 7.0.0-7.0.11 and 7.2.0-7.2.4 across Windows, Linux, and Mac platforms contain an improper certificate validation vulnerability (CWE-295) in the ZTNA tunnel creation process. During the initial handshake between FortiClient and FortiGate, the client fails to properly validate the server's certificate, allowing a remote unauthenticated attacker to intercept the connection via MITM attack.

MitigationUpgrade FortiClient to the latest patched version (7.0.12 or later for the 7.0 branch, 7.2.3 or later for Windows, 7.2.5 or later for Mac). Organizations should prioritize patching as the CVSS 8.1 score indicates high exploitability with network-based attacks.

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:>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.12>= 7.2.0, < 7.2.3>= 7.2.0, < 7.2.5= 7.2.0

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
Network
Complexity
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/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 FortiClient installed version
    Open FortiClient application and navigate to About or Settings > About to view the version number. On Windows you can also check Add/Remove Programs. On Linux check via package manager (dpkg -l forticlient or rpm -q forticlient). On Mac check Applications folder or system_profiler SPApplicationsDataType.
    Affected if The installed version falls within 7.0.0 through 7.0.11, or 7.2.0 through 7.2.4 (or specifically 7.2.0, 7.2.1, 7.2.2 for Windows; 7.2.0, 7.2.1, 7.2.2, 7.2.3, 7.2.4 for Mac). Compare your version to these ranges.
  2. Confirm ZTNA component is present
    Open FortiClient and look for ZTNA or Zero Trust Network Access in the left navigation panel or main dashboard. On Windows check if the ZTNA agent service is installed (services.msc look for FortiClient ZTNA).
    Affected if ZTNA feature or component is installed and visible in the FortiClient interface.
  3. Verify ZTNA tunnel configuration exists
    In FortiClient ZTNA settings, check if any ZTNA tunnels or connections are configured. Look for entries under Remote Access or ZTNA profiles that define connections to FortiGate gateways.
    Affected if One or more ZTNA tunnels to FortiGate are configured or have been used.

You are affected if FortiClient version is within 7.0.0-7.0.11 or 7.2.0-7.2.4 AND the ZTNA component is installed with active tunnel configurations.

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 7.0.12 / 7.2.3 / 7.2.5 or later
Fixed in 7.0.127.2.37.2.5
Interim mitigation

Upgrade FortiClient to the latest patched version (7.0.12 or later for the 7.0 branch, 7.2.3 or later for Windows, 7.2.5 or later for Mac). Organizations should prioritize patching as the CVSS 8.1 score indicates high exploitability with network-based attacks.

Recommended fix High confidence

FortiClient 7.0.12+ or 7.2.3+ (Windows), 7.0.12+ or 7.2.1+ (Linux), 7.0.12+ or 7.2.5+ (Mac)

  1. 1. Identify the FortiClient variant in use (Windows, Linux, or Mac)
  2. 2. For Windows: upgrade to version 7.0.12 or later, or 7.2.3 or later
  3. 3. For Linux: upgrade to version 7.0.12 or later, or 7.2.1 or later if available
  4. 4. For Mac: upgrade to version 7.0.12 or later, or 7.2.5 or later
  5. 5. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the FortiClient version in the About section
  6. 6. Test ZTNA tunnel creation to confirm normal operation

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

Fix this in Forticlient 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
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-31489 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2024-31489 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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