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CVE Record

CVE-2021-26110: An improper access control vulnerability [CWE-284] in FortiOS autod daemon 7.0.0, 6.4.6 and below, 6.2.9 an...

An improper access control vulnerability [CWE-284] in FortiOS autod daemon 7.0.0, 6.4.6 and below, 6.2.9 and below, 6.0.12 and below and FortiProxy 2.0.1 and below, 1.2.9 and below may allow an authenticated low-privileged attacker to escalate their privileges to super_admin via a specific crafted configuration of fabric automation CLI script and auto-script features.

HighCVSS 7.8Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2021-26110 lets a low-privileged authenticated user on affected Fortinet FortiOS or FortiProxy systems become super_admin through misuse of automation scripting features. The business risk is full administrative takeover of the device by someone who already has limited access.

Executive priority

Treat this as high priority where Fortinet appliances have multiple administrators, delegated access, or exposed operational management. It is not unauthenticated remote compromise, but successful exploitation can produce full device administrator control.

Technical view

The vulnerability is improper access control in the FortiOS autod daemon. A low-privileged authenticated attacker can escalate to super_admin using crafted configuration involving fabric automation CLI script and auto-script features. CVSS 3.1 score is 7.8, with local access, low complexity, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.

Likely exposure

Exposure is limited to affected FortiOS and FortiProxy versions where a low-privileged authenticated user can access relevant automation scripting configuration paths. The bundle lists FortiOS 7.0.0, 6.4.6 and below, 6.2.9 and below, 6.0.12 and below, plus FortiProxy 2.0.1 and below and 1.2.9 and below.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. The CVSS vector includes E:P, indicating proof-of-concept maturity in the provided scoring data, but no cited source confirms in-the-wild exploitation.

Researcher notes

Evidence is strongest for affected products, privilege requirement, impact, and feature path. The bundle does not include detailed fixed-release data, workarounds, indicators of compromise, or active exploitation confirmation. Avoid assuming broader Fortinet product exposure beyond FortiOS and FortiProxy.

Mitigation direction

  • Check Fortinet FG-IR-20-131 for fixed versions and upgrade guidance.
  • Prioritize upgrades for internet-facing or shared-administration Fortinet environments.
  • Restrict low-privileged administrative accounts to only required functions.
  • Review access to fabric automation CLI script and auto-script features.
  • Audit Fortinet administrator roles and remove unused accounts.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory FortiOS and FortiProxy versions against the affected version ranges.
  • Identify low-privileged accounts with automation scripting access.
  • Review recent administrative configuration changes for unexpected privilege changes.
  • Confirm remediation status against Fortinet advisory FG-IR-20-131.
  • Monitor device logs for unusual automation script activity.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
3

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

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

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CVE-2021-26110 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
High
CVSS
7.8 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:X/RC:X

Official CVE source material

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.

1CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
2Source links

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We 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.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
7.8CVSS 3.1HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:X/RC:X1.85.9Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

7.8High
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2021-26110Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:X/RC:X

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
FortinetFortinet FortiOS, FortiProxyFortiOS 7.0.0, 6.4.6 and below, 6.2.9 and below, 6.0.12 and below. FortiProxy 2.0.1 and below, 1.2.9 and belowListed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.