dbcve.org
FortiproxyApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2024-52965

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-07-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.0.17 / 7.0.21 or later.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
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 missing critical step in authentication vulnerability [CWE-304] in Fortinet FortiOS version 7.6.0 through 7.6.1, 7.4.0 through 7.4.5, 7.2.0 through 7.2.10, and before 7.0.16 & FortiProxy version 7.6.0 through 7.6.1, 7.4.0 through 7.4.8, 7.2.0 through 7.2.13 and before 7.0.20 allows an API-user using api-key + PKI user certificate authentication to login even if the certificate is invalid.

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 is an authentication bypass vulnerability where FortiOS and FortiProxy fail to properly validate PKI user certificates when both API-key and certificate-based authentication are used together. An attacker with a valid API key but an invalid or expired PKI client certificate can still authenticate successfully.

MitigationUpgrade FortiOS to version 7.0.16, 7.2.10, 7.4.5, or 7.6.2 or later, and FortiProxy to version 7.0.20, 7.2.14, 7.4.9, or 7.6.2 or later to resolve the certificate validation failure.

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
FortiproxyApplication
Affected:>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.21>= 7.2.0, < 7.2.14>= 7.4.0, < 7.4.9>= 7.6.0, < 7.6.2
FortiosOperating system
Affected:>= 7.0.1, < 7.0.17>= 7.2.0, < 7.2.11>= 7.4.0, < 7.4.6= 7.6.0= 7.6.1

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify the Fortinet product and version
    Run `get system status` on the FortiOS/FortiProxy CLI to display the firmware version. Compare this version against the affected ranges: FortiProxy >= 7.0.0 to < 7.0.21, >= 7.2.0 to < 7.2.14, >= 7.4.0 to < 7.4.9, >= 7.6.0 to < 7.6.2; FortiOS >= 7.0.1 to < 7.0.17, >= 7.2.0 to < 7.2.11, >= 7.4.0 to < 7.4.6, 7.6.0 or 7.6.1
    Affected if The product is FortiOS or FortiProxy and the installed version falls within any of the affected ranges listed.
  2. Check if PKI user authentication is configured
    Run `get system pki user` to list configured PKI users. If no PKI users are configured, the vulnerability cannot be exploited in this manner.
    Affected if PKI users exist in the configuration, indicating certificate-based authentication is enabled.
  3. Check if API key authentication is enabled
    Run `get system api-user` to list API users. The vulnerability specifically involves the interaction between API key and PKI certificate validation.
    Affected if API users are configured, indicating API-key based authentication is enabled.
  4. Verify both authentication methods are used together
    Review the authentication configuration for specific user accounts or firewall policies that reference both PKI users and API keys. The vulnerability requires both authentication mechanisms to be applied to the same access path.
    Affected if The same access method (such as REST API access) is configured to accept both PKI certificate and API key authentication simultaneously.

A user is affected if they are running a vulnerable FortiOS or FortiProxy version within the affected ranges AND have both PKI certificate-based authentication and API-key authentication configured for the same access path.

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 7.0.17 / 7.0.21 / 7.2.11 or later
Fixed in 7.0.177.0.217.2.11
Interim mitigation

Upgrade FortiOS to version 7.0.16, 7.2.10, 7.4.5, or 7.6.2 or later, and FortiProxy to version 7.0.20, 7.2.14, 7.4.9, or 7.6.2 or later to resolve the certificate validation failure.

Recommended fix High confidence

FortiOS: 7.0.17+, 7.2.11+, 7.4.6+, 7.6.2+ | FortiProxy: 7.0.21+, 7.2.14+, 7.4.9+, 7.6.2+

  1. 1. Identify the current FortiOS or FortiProxy version running on the device using the Web UI (System > FortiGuard) or CLI: get system status
  2. 2. Based on the current version branch, plan upgrade to the fixed release: For FortiOS 7.0.x upgrade to 7.0.17 or later; For FortiOS 7.2.x upgrade to 7.2.11 or later; For FortiOS 7.4.x upgrade to 7.4.6 or later; For FortiOS 7.6.x upgrade to 7.6.2 or later
  3. 3. For FortiProxy: If on 7.0.x upgrade to 7.0.21 or later; 7.2.x upgrade to 7.2.14 or later; 7.4.x upgrade to 7.4.9 or later; 7.6.x upgrade to 7.6.2 or later
  4. 4. Before upgrading, backup the current configuration via CLI: execute backup config tftp <tftp_server_ip> <config_file> or via Web UI
  5. 5. Review Fortinet release notes for the target version to ensure compatibility with current feature set and hardware
  6. 6. Perform the upgrade via CLI: execute system firmware upgrade or via Web UI under System > Firmware
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify the system is operational and confirm the new version: get system status
  8. 8. For api-key + PKI authentication configurations, verify that certificate validation is now enforced correctly after the upgrade
Caveat Standard Fortinet upgrade considerations apply - review release notes for breaking changes, test in staging environment first, and ensure backup before upgrade

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

Fix this in Fortiproxy Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-52965 — 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-2024-52965 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