FortiosOperating system · Fortinet
CVE-2024-40591
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 · uneditedAn incorrect privilege assignment vulnerability [CWE-266] in Fortinet FortiOS version 7.6.0, 7.4.0 through 7.4.4, 7.2.0 through 7.2.9 and before 7.0.15 allows an authenticated admin whose access profile has the Security Fabric permission to escalate their privileges to super-admin by connecting the targetted FortiGate to a malicious upstream FortiGate they control.
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 confidenceThis is a privilege escalation vulnerability in FortiOS where an authenticated administrator with Security Fabric permission can elevate their privileges to super-admin by connecting the target FortiGate to a malicious upstream FortiGate they control. The vulnerability stems from improper validation during Security Fabric operations, allowing an attacker to inherit super-admin privileges through the malicious peer device.
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
FortiosOperating system
>= 6.4.0, < 6.4.16>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.16>= 7.2.0, < 7.2.10>= 7.4.0, < 7.4.5= 7.6.0CVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify FortiOS versionRun `get system status` via CLI or check System > Firmware in GUI to retrieve the installed FortiOS version numberAffected if The version falls within any of these ranges: 6.4.0 to 6.4.15, 7.0.0 to 7.0.15, 7.2.0 to 7.2.9, 7.4.0 to 7.4.4, or exactly 7.6.0
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Verify Security Fabric is configuredRun `show system securityfabric` in CLI or check Security Fabric > Settings in GUI to see if any Security Fabric topology is definedAffected if Security Fabric is enabled and the FortiGate is connected as a downstream device to an upstream FortiGate
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Check admin accounts with Security Fabric permissionRun `get system admin` in CLI and review each admin profile, or check System > Administrators in GUI. Look for profiles containing 'secfab' permission or custom profiles with Security Fabric accessAffected if Any admin account has a profile that grants Security Fabric permission (such as 'super_admin' or a custom profile with secfab permission)
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Inspect Security Fabric upstream connectionsRun `diagnose sysupstream` in CLI to list connected upstream FortiGate devices in the Security Fabric topologyAffected if The device has an upstream FortiGate connection to an untrusted or unauthorized device
You are affected if your FortiOS version is within the vulnerable ranges AND Security Fabric is enabled with an admin account that has Security Fabric permissions connected to any upstream device.
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 · scoped6.4.167.0.167.2.10
Upgrade FortiOS to version 7.6.1, 7.4.5, 7.2.10, 7.0.15 or later. Until patched, limit which admin accounts have Security Fabric permissions and monitor for unauthorized Security Fabric connections.
Upgrade to FortiOS 6.4.16 / 7.0.16 / 7.2.10 / 7.4.5 or later (select the branch matching your current version)
- 1. Identify the current FortiOS version running on the affected FortiGate device using the CLI command: get system status
- 2. Determine the appropriate upgrade path based on the current version (6.4.x -> 6.4.16+, 7.0.x -> 7.0.16+, 7.2.x -> 7.2.10+, 7.4.x -> 7.4.5+)
- 3. Download the appropriate firmware image from the Fortinet Customer Support Portal (https://support.fortinet.com)
- 4. Upload the firmware to the FortiGate device via the web UI (System > Firmware) or CLI: execute restore image or execute upgrade
- 5. Before upgrading in production, test the new firmware version in a lab environment to verify compatibility with your configuration
- 6. Backup the current FortiGate configuration using: execute backup config tftp/ftp <remote-ip> <filename>
- 7. Schedule a maintenance window and perform the upgrade
- 8. After upgrade, verify the version using: get system status and confirm the Security Fabric feature works as expected
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Fortios
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,304.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-40591 — 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-2024-40591 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
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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