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CVE Record

CVE-2021-41023: A unprotected storage of credentials in Fortinet FortiSIEM Windows Agent version 4.1.4 and below allows an...

A unprotected storage of credentials in Fortinet FortiSIEM Windows Agent version 4.1.4 and below allows an authenticated user to disclosure agent password due to plaintext credential storage in log files

MediumCVSS 5.5Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

Fortinet FortiSIEM Windows Agent 4.1.4 and earlier stored an agent password in plaintext log files. A user who already has authenticated local access to an affected Windows system could read that password. The main business risk is credential exposure that may support further access inside monitoring infrastructure.

Executive priority

Address during the next vulnerability remediation cycle, faster for shared servers or high-trust monitoring environments. This is not presented as remotely exploitable, but exposed monitoring credentials can increase the impact of an already-compromised endpoint.

Technical view

CVE-2021-41023 is an unprotected credential storage issue in FortiSIEM Windows Agent. The CVSS 3.1 vector is local, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, unchanged scope, and high confidentiality impact. Integrity and availability impacts are not identified in the source bundle.

Likely exposure

Exposure is limited to environments running Fortinet FortiSIEM Windows Agent versions 4.1.4, 4.1.3, 4.1.2, 4.1.1, 4.1.0, 4.0.0, 3.3.0, 3.2.x, or 3.1.x on Windows endpoints.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not show known active exploitation, and the CVE is not marked KEV. Exploitation requires an authenticated local user, so risk is highest on shared systems, compromised endpoints, or environments with weak log access controls.

Researcher notes

The strongest evidence is the CVE description and CVSS vector. The bundle names affected versions but does not include detailed Fortinet fix text. Do not assume remote exploitation or public exploit activity from the provided evidence.

Mitigation direction

  • Consult Fortinet advisory FG-IR-21-175 for fixed versions and vendor remediation guidance.
  • Upgrade or replace affected FortiSIEM Windows Agent versions following Fortinet guidance.
  • Treat agent passwords present in historical logs as exposed and rotate them after remediation.
  • Restrict local access and log file access on systems running the agent.
  • Review log retention and secure deletion requirements for sensitive agent logs.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Windows hosts running Fortinet FortiSIEM Windows Agent.
  • Confirm whether any installed agent version is 4.1.4 or earlier.
  • Review vendor advisory FG-IR-21-175 for authoritative affected and fixed version details.
  • Check whether agent logs containing credentials were accessible to low-privileged local users.
  • Review endpoint access history for suspicious local account activity where feasible.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
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

Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.

description · low confidence lookup

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 lookup
cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2021-41023 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

Open ATT&CK lookup
Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Medium
CVSS
5.5 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

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

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
5.5CVSS 3.1MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N/E:X/RL:O/RC:C1.83.6Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

5.5Medium
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2021-41023Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

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

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 FortiSIEMWindowsAgentFortiSIEMWindowsAgent 4.1.4, 4.1.3, 4.1.2, 4.1.1, 4.1.0, 4.0.0, 3.3.0, 3.2.2, 3.2.1, 3.2.0, 3.1.2, 3.1.0Listed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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