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ForticlientApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2024-35281

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-05-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.2.9 / 7.4.3 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
An improper isolation or compartmentalization vulnerability [CWE-653] in FortiClientMac version 7.4.2 and below, version 7.2.8 and below, 7.0 all versions and FortiVoiceUCDesktop 3.0 all versions desktop application may allow an authenticated attacker to inject code via Electron environment variables.

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 vulnerability in FortiClientMac and FortiVoiceUCDesktop desktop applications allows an authenticated attacker to inject code via Electron environment variables due to improper isolation or compartmentalization (CWE-653). The flaw enables privilege escalation through manipulation of the Electron runtime environment in these endpoint protection/communication tools.

MitigationUpdate FortiClientMac to a version higher than 7.4.2 (and respectively above 7.2.8 for older branches) and obtain the patched release for FortiVoiceUCDesktop. Apply via standard Fortinet update mechanisms or enterprise deployment tools.

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, < 7.2.9>= 7.4.0, < 7.4.3
Fortifone SoftclientApplication
Affected:>= 3.0.0, <= 3.0.16

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. Identify installed Fortinet product
    Check installed applications for FortiClientMac, FortiVoiceUCDesktop, or FortiVoice/Softclient. On macOS, use 'ls /Applications' or System Settings > Applications to list installed software.
    Affected if Any of these Fortinet applications are present on the system
  2. Check FortiClientMac version
    Right-click FortiClientMac in Applications folder, select 'Get Info' or use command: 'defaults read /Applications/FortiClientMac.app/Contents/Info.plist CFBundleVersion' to retrieve the version number.
    Affected if Version is >= 7.0.0 and < 7.2.9, OR >= 7.4.0 and < 7.4.3
  3. Check FortiVoiceUCDesktop or FortiVoice Softclient version
    Right-click the application in Applications folder, select 'Get Info' to view version, or check the application's About/Version information within the app menu.
    Affected if Version is >= 3.0.0 and <= 3.0.16 (for Fortifone Softclient)
  4. Verify Electron runtime exposure
    Examine if the application runs with Electron runtime by checking process info: 'ps -ef | grep -i forti' while the application is running, or inspect app contents in /Applications/AppName.app/Contents/Frameworks for Electron framework files.
    Affected if Application uses Electron framework and runs with elevated privileges or in a context where environment variable manipulation could lead to privilege escalation

The system is affected if FortiClientMac version is 7.0.0-7.2.8 or 7.4.0-7.4.2, or if FortiVoice/Softclient version is 3.0.0-3.0.16, and the application uses Electron runtime where environment variables can be manipulated for privilege escalation.

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 7.2.9 / 7.4.3 or later
Fixed in 7.2.97.4.3
Interim mitigation

Update FortiClientMac to a version higher than 7.4.2 (and respectively above 7.2.8 for older branches) and obtain the patched release for FortiVoiceUCDesktop. Apply via standard Fortinet update mechanisms or enterprise deployment tools.

Recommended fix High confidence

FortiClient: upgrade to 7.2.9 or later, or 7.4.3 or later; Fortifone Softclient: contact vendor for fixed version

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed FortiClient or FortiVoiceUCDesktop version
  2. 2. For FortiClient users: Upgrade to version 7.2.9 or later, or 7.4.3 or later
  3. 3. For FortiVoiceUCDesktop (Fortifone Softclient) users: Check Fortinet support for the latest fixed version or vendor patch
  4. 4. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the application version
  5. 5. Test that the application functions normally after upgrade
Caveat Review release notes for any functional changes between current and target version

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

Fix this in Forticlient Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $2,000
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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-2024-35281 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