CVE-2021-36177

Unauthenticated database access via HA service

Published Feb 2, 2022 · Updated Oct 22, 2024

Improper access control in FortiAuthenticator 6.3.2 and earlier, 6.2.x, 6.1.x, and 6.0.x allows remote attackers on the HA management VLAN to connect directly to the FAC database without authentication. The HA service fails to enforce authorization on database connections, exposing database contents and permitting database operations within the connection's privileges. Exploitation requires adjacent network access to the HA management interface; Fortinet reports no known exploitation in the wild.

CVSS severity4.3
Medium
EPSS probability0.30%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper access control in FortiAuthenticator 6.3.2 and earlier, 6.2.x, 6.1.x, and 6.0.x allows remote attackers on the HA management VLAN to connect directly to the FAC database without authentication. The HA service fails to enforce authorization on database connections, exposing database contents and permitting database operations within the connection's privileges. Exploitation requires adjacent network access to the HA management interface; Fortinet reports no known exploitation in the wild.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-36177
Published
Feb 2, 2022
Updated
Oct 22, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-284, T1210
Attack vector
adjacent
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Feb 2, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 22, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectoradjacent
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

3.3NVDAV:A/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
4.3NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
4.2Fortinet, Inc.CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectoradjacent
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-284Improper Access Control
T1210Exploitation of Remote Services

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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