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ForticlientApplication · Fortinet

CVE-2025-57741

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-10-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.2.12 / 7.4.4 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 Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource vulnerability [CWE-732] in FortiClientMac 7.4.0 through 7.4.3, 7.2.0 through 7.2.11, 7.0 all versions may allow a local attacker to run arbitrary code or commands via LaunchDaemon hijacking.

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

A local privilege escalation vulnerability in FortiClient Mac versions 7.0-7.4.3 allows local attackers to hijack a LaunchDaemon due to incorrect file permission assignments (CWE-732). The vulnerable LaunchDaemon can be exploited to execute arbitrary code or commands with elevated privileges.

MitigationUpgrade FortiClientMac to version 7.4.4 or later, or 7.2.12 or later. Alternatively, audit and correct file permissions on the FortiClient LaunchDaemon to restrict write access to privileged users.

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, < 7.2.12>= 7.4.0, < 7.4.4

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. Check FortiClient version installed
    Open Finder > Applications > FortiClient.app, right-click and choose 'Get Info', or run: defaults read /Applications/FortiClient.app/Contents/Info CFBundleShortVersionString
    Affected if The version is 7.0.0 through 7.2.11, or 7.4.0 through 7.4.3 (note: versions 7.2.12+ and 7.4.4+ are fixed)
  2. Locate FortiClient LaunchDaemon files
    Run: ls -la /Library/LaunchDaemons/ | grep -i forti to find FortiClient-related daemons, or search for plist files containing 'FortiClient' in /Library/LaunchDaemons/
    Affected if Any FortiClient LaunchDaemon files exist on the system
  3. Inspect file permissions on LaunchDaemon plist
    Run: ls -la /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.fortinet.* (replace with actual daemon name found) and examine the permission string (e.g., -rw-r--r--)
    Affected if The permissions show write access for group or other (e.g., anything beyond -rw-r----- or -rw-------)
  4. Check ownership of LaunchDaemon files
    Run: ls -la /Library/LaunchDaemons/ | grep -i forti and verify the owner is root:wheel
    Affected if The file is not owned by root or is owned by a non-privileged user
  5. Verify parent directory permissions
    Run: ls -la /Library/ | grep LaunchDaemons and ls -la /Library/LaunchDaemons/ to ensure the directory itself is not writable by non-privileged users
    Affected if The LaunchDaemons directory allows write access to non-root users

A user is affected if FortiClient Mac version 7.0-7.4.3 is installed AND the LaunchDaemon file has overly permissive write access (group/other writable), allowing a local unprivileged attacker to modify the daemon and execute code as root.

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 7.2.12 / 7.4.4 or later
Fixed in 7.2.127.4.4
Interim mitigation

Upgrade FortiClientMac to version 7.4.4 or later, or 7.2.12 or later. Alternatively, audit and correct file permissions on the FortiClient LaunchDaemon to restrict write access to privileged users.

Recommended fix High confidence

FortiClientMac 7.4.4+ or 7.2.12+ (7.0.x line has no fix - upgrade to 7.2.x or 7.4.x)

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed FortiClientMac version by checking About or running: defaults read /Applications/FortiClient.app/Contents/Info CFBundleVersion
  2. 2. If running FortiClientMac 7.4.x, upgrade to version 7.4.4 or later from the Fortinet download center
  3. 3. If running FortiClientMac 7.2.x, upgrade to version 7.2.12 or later from the Fortinet download center
  4. 4. If running FortiClientMac 7.0.x, upgrade to the latest 7.2.x or 7.4.x version as 7.0.x has reached end-of-life and has no fixed version
  5. 5. After upgrade, verify the new version is running: FortiClient menu > About FortiClient
  6. 6. Restart the system to ensure the new LaunchDaemon loads with correct permissions
Caveat Ensure compatibility with your FortiGate/FortiManager version before upgrading; review FortiClient release notes for EMS integration requirements

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

Fix this in Forticlient Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,980
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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-2025-57741 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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