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ForticlientApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2024-50570

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.0.14 / 7.2.7 or later.
See remediation →
50/100
Remediation priority · Moderate

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 Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information vulnerability [CWE-312] in FortiClientWindows 7.4.0 through 7.4.1, 7.2.0 through 7.2.6, 7.0.0 through 7.0.13 and FortiClientLinux 7.4.0 through 7.4.2, 7.2.0 through 7.2.7, 7.0.0 through 7.0.13 may permit a local authenticated user to retrieve VPN password via memory dump, due to JavaScript's garbage collector

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

FortiClientWindows and FortiClientLinux versions 7.0.x through 7.4.x store VPN passwords in cleartext within process memory. A local authenticated attacker can exploit JavaScript's garbage collector behavior to retrieve sensitive VPN credentials via memory dump analysis.

MitigationUpdate FortiClient to the latest patched versions: Windows 7.4.2+/7.2.7+/7.0.14+ and Linux 7.4.3+/7.2.8+/7.0.14+ to address the cleartext memory storage issue.

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, < 7.0.14>= 7.0.0, < 7.2.8>= 7.2.0, < 7.2.7>= 7.4.0, < 7.4.2>= 7.4.0, < 7.4.3

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
High
Privileges
High
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check FortiClient version on Windows
    Open Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or right-click FortiClient icon in system tray and select 'About'. Record the exact version number (e.g., 7.4.1, 7.2.5, 7.0.10).
    Affected if The installed version is 7.0.x below 7.0.14, or 7.2.x below 7.2.7, or 7.4.x below 7.4.2 for Windows.
  2. Check FortiClient version on Linux
    Open a terminal and run: dpkg -l | grep forticlient or rpm -qa | grep forticlient. Alternatively, run '/opt/forticlient/forticlient --version' if installed. Record the exact version number.
    Affected if The installed version is 7.0.x below 7.0.14, or 7.2.x below 7.2.8, or 7.4.x below 7.4.3 for Linux.
  3. Verify VPN feature is configured
    Open FortiClient and navigate to the VPN tab. Check if any VPN connections (SSL-VPN or IPsec) are configured and enabled. Look for saved credentials or 'Save Password' options.
    Affected if VPN profiles with saved passwords exist in the FortiClient configuration.
  4. Inspect stored VPN credentials (Windows)
    Navigate to %APPDATA%\Fortinet\FortiClient\ or %LOCALAPPDATA%\Fortinet\FortiClient\ and examine configuration files (such as *.xml or *.conf) for VPN profiles. Look for stored password fields.
    Affected if Passwords appear in cleartext (not encrypted or masked) within configuration files in the FortiClient profile directory.
  5. Inspect stored VPN credentials (Linux)
    Navigate to ~/.forticlient/ or /etc/forticlient/ and examine configuration files for VPN profiles. Look for password fields in XML or config files.
    Affected if Passwords appear in cleartext (not encrypted or masked) within configuration files in the FortiClient profile directory.

You are affected if FortiClient Windows version is 7.0.x < 7.0.14, 7.2.x < 7.2.7, or 7.4.x < 7.4.2; or Linux version is 7.0.x < 7.0.14, 7.2.x < 7.2.8, or 7.4.x < 7.4.3, AND VPN profiles with saved passwords are configured.

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 7.0.14 / 7.2.7 / 7.2.8 or later
Fixed in 7.0.147.2.77.2.8
Interim mitigation

Update FortiClient to the latest patched versions: Windows 7.4.2+/7.2.7+/7.0.14+ and Linux 7.4.3+/7.2.8+/7.0.14+ to address the cleartext memory storage issue.

Recommended fix High confidence

FortiClient Windows: 7.4.2+, 7.2.8+, 7.0.14+ | FortiClient Linux: 7.4.3+, 7.2.8+, 7.0.14+

  1. 1. Identify the installed FortiClient version (Windows or Linux) from Add/Remove Programs or the FortiClient GUI
  2. 2. For FortiClient Windows: If version is 7.4.0-7.4.1, upgrade to 7.4.2 or later; if 7.2.0-7.2.6, upgrade to 7.2.8 or later; if 7.0.0-7.0.13, upgrade to 7.0.14 or later
  3. 3. For FortiClient Linux: If version is 7.4.0-7.4.2, upgrade to 7.4.3 or later; if 7.2.0-7.2.7, upgrade to 7.2.8 or later; if 7.0.0-7.0.13, upgrade to 7.0.14 or later
  4. 4. Obtain the upgrade from the official Fortinet download center at https://www.fortinet.com/support/product-downloads
  5. 5. Before upgrading, backup any existing FortiClient configurations if needed
  6. 6. Install the upgraded FortiClient version
  7. 7. Verify the new version is correctly installed and test VPN connectivity
Caveat Standard upgrade; review FortiClient release notes for any configuration or compatibility changes between versions

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

Fix this in Forticlient Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
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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-2024-50570 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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