#VU100575 Unprotected storage of credentials in Fortinet FortiClient for Windows

Vulnerability identifier: #VU100575

Vulnerability risk: High

CVSSv4.0: 6.8 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:A/U:Amber]

CVE-ID: N/A

CWE-ID: CWE-256

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
Fortinet FortiClient for Windows
Server applications / Other server solutions

Vendor: Fortinet, Inc

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to gain access to VPN client credentials.

The vulnerability exists due to application stores user's VPN credentials in plain text in memory after establishing the VPN connection. A local user or a malicious application can retrieve these credentials from the process memory and use them later to connect to the Fortinet VPN server.

Note, the vulnerability is being actively exploited in the wild by the DEEPDATA malware.

Mitigation
Cybersecurity Help is currently unaware of any official solution to address this vulnerability.

Vulnerable software versions

Fortinet FortiClient for Windows: 0, 1.0.0 - 1.0.5, 1.2.0 - 1.2.5, 4.0.0 - 4.0.2, 4.1.0, 4.2.0, 4.3.0 - 4.3.3.445, 5.0.1 - 5.0.11, 5.2.0 - 5.2.028, 5.4.0 - 5.4.5, 5.6.0 - 5.6.6, 6.0.0 - 6.0.10, 6.2.0 - 6.2.9, 6.4.0 - 6.4.10, 7.0.0 - 7.0.13, 7.2.0 - 7.2.5, 7.4.0 - 7.4.1

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External links
https://www.volexity.com/blog/2024/11/15/brazenbamboo-weaponizes-forticlient-vulnerability-to-steal-vpn-credentials-via-deepdata/

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

Yes. This vulnerability is being exploited in the wild.