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ForticlientApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2024-52968

HIGH · 8.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-02-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.0.13 / 7.2.5 or later.
See remediation →
89/100
Remediation priority · High
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
An improper authentication in Fortinet FortiClientMac 7.0.11 through 7.2.4 allows attacker to gain improper access to MacOS via empty password.

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

FortiClientMac versions 7.0.11 through 7.2.4 contain an improper authentication vulnerability that allows attackers to gain unauthorized access to MacOS systems by authenticating with an empty password. This authentication bypass occurs due to insufficient validation of credentials during the login process.

MitigationUpdate FortiClientMac to the latest version (beyond 7.2.4) to remediate this vulnerability. Until patched, ensure strong password policies are enforced and consider disabling the product if immediate patching is not feasible.

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:>= 7.0.11, < 7.0.13>= 7.2.3, < 7.2.5= 7.4.0

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/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. Verify FortiClientMac is installed
    Open Terminal and run: ls /Applications/ | grep -i forticlient OR system_profiler SPApplicationsDataType | grep -i forticlient
    Affected if FortiClientMac does not appear in Applications, then the system is not affected by this CVE.
  2. Identify the installed FortiClientMac version
    Run: /Applications/FortiClient.app/Contents/Info.plist or right-click FortiClient.app > Get Info to view the version number. Alternatively, run: defaults read /Applications/FortiClient.app/Contents/Info CFBundleShortVersionString
    Affected if The displayed version falls within an affected range: 7.0.11 to 7.0.12, 7.2.3 to 7.2.4, or exactly 7.4.0.
  3. Confirm FortiClient authentication feature is in use
    Check if FortiClient is configured for VPN, Endpoint Protection, or EMS connection that requires user authentication. Review FortiClient settings or check for active profiles: defaults read /Library/Preferences/com.fortinet.forticlient 2>/dev/null
    Affected if FortiClient is installed with authentication-enabled features (VPN, endpoint protection, EMS) on an affected version - the empty password bypass applies to the login process.
  4. Test for empty password acceptance
    This step requires controlled testing in a non-production environment. Attempt authentication with an empty password field through FortiClient login UI or API if exposed. Document whether authentication succeeds without credentials.
    Affected if Authentication succeeds with an empty password on an affected version, confirming the vulnerability is present and exploitable.

A user is affected if FortiClientMac is installed at versions 7.0.11-7.0.12, 7.2.3-7.2.4, or 7.4.0 AND the authentication feature is enabled/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 7.0.13 / 7.2.5 or later
Fixed in 7.0.137.2.5
Interim mitigation

Update FortiClientMac to the latest version (beyond 7.2.4) to remediate this vulnerability. Until patched, ensure strong password policies are enforced and consider disabling the product if immediate patching is not feasible.

Recommended fix High confidence

FortiClientMac 7.0.13+, 7.2.5+, or 7.4.1+ (depending on your current branch)

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed FortiClientMac version by checking About FortiClient in the application menu
  2. 2. For FortiClientMac 7.0.x users: Upgrade to version 7.0.13 or later
  3. 3. For FortiClientMac 7.2.x users: Upgrade to version 7.2.5 or later
  4. 4. For FortiClientMac 7.4.0 users: Upgrade to version 7.4.1 or later
  5. 5. Obtain the update from the official Fortinet support portal or FortiClient download center at https://www.fortinet.com/support/contact-support
  6. 6. Verify the installation completed successfully and confirm the version number after upgrading

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

Fix this in Forticlient Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,440
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,304.

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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-2024-52968 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