Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Fortinet reports that affected FortiADCManager and FortiADC versions can store sensitive information in log files as clear text. A remote authenticated attacker may read other local users' passwords from those logs. This is mainly a confidentiality issue, but exposed passwords can enable follow-on account misuse.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate-priority remediation for affected Fortinet ADC management environments. It is not described as unauthenticated or actively exploited, but password exposure in logs can turn a limited account into a broader compromise path.
Technical view
CVE-2021-24024 is a cleartext sensitive information logging flaw affecting FortiADCManager 5.3.0 and below, 5.2.1 and below, and FortiADC 5.3.7 and below. The CVSS 3.1 score is 4.3, with network access, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, and low confidentiality impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely in environments running affected FortiADCManager or FortiADC releases where authenticated remote users can access relevant local log files. Systems not using these products or running versions outside the listed affected ranges are not indicated as affected by the provided sources.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. Exploitation requires authenticated access, but successful access could reveal other local users' passwords from logs, increasing the risk of account compromise or lateral administrative misuse.
Researcher notes
The available evidence is concise and does not include CWE mapping, exploit status, or exact fixed versions in the bundle. Key validation should focus on affected version confirmation, authenticated log accessibility, and whether cleartext credentials are present in logs.
Mitigation direction
- Review Fortinet advisory FG-IR-19-244 for vendor-approved fixed versions or workarounds.
- Upgrade FortiADCManager and FortiADC beyond the listed affected versions per Fortinet guidance.
- Restrict log access to trusted administrative roles only.
- Review historical logs for exposed passwords and rotate any credentials found.
- Monitor authenticated access to management interfaces and log files.
Validation and detection
- Inventory FortiADCManager and FortiADC versions across the environment.
- Compare installed versions against the affected ranges in CVE-2021-24024.
- Confirm whether authenticated users can access the relevant local log files.
- Inspect logs for cleartext local user passwords without broadly copying sensitive data.
- After remediation, verify new logs no longer contain sensitive passwords.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
Credential and access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references authentication or credential exposure, so valid-account and credential-access review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-24024 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 4.3 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N2.81.4Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
4.3MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://fortiguard.com/advisory/FG-IR-19-244CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.