CVE-2021-36183
An improper authorization vulnerability [CWE-285] in FortiClient for Windows versions 7.0.1 and...
An improper authorization vulnerability [CWE-285] in FortiClient for Windows versions 7.0.1 and below and 6.4.2 and below may allow a local unprivileged attacker to escalate their privileges to SYSTEM via the named pipe responsible for Forticlient updates.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
An improper authorization vulnerability [CWE-285] in FortiClient for Windows versions 7.0.1 and below and 6.4.2 and below may allow a local unprivileged attacker to escalate their privileges to SYSTEM via the named pipe responsible for Forticlient updates.
- Record
CVE-2021-36183- CVSS 3.1
- 7.4 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:F/RL:X/RC:X - Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2021-22804
An improper authorization vulnerability [CWE-285] in FortiClient for Windows versions 7.0.1 and below and 6.4.2 and below may allow a local unprivileged attacker to escalate their privileges to SYSTEM via the named pipe responsible for Forticlient updates.
- Record
EUVD-2021-22804- CVSS 3.1
- 7.4 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:F/RL:X/RC:X - Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-vrc4-qvrw-2552
An improper authorization vulnerability [CWE-285] in FortiClient for Windows versions 7.0.1 and...
An improper authorization vulnerability [CWE-285] in FortiClient for Windows versions 7.0.1 and below and 6.4.2 and below may allow a local unprivileged attacker to escalate their privileges to SYSTEM via the named pipe responsible for Forticlient updates.
- Record
GHSA-vrc4-qvrw-2552- CVSS 3.1
- 7.8 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-863
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
An improper authorization vulnerability [CWE-285] in FortiClient for Windows versions 7.0.1 and below and 6.4.2 and below may allow a local unprivileged attacker to escalate their privileges to SYSTEM via the named pipe responsible for Forticlient updates.
- Record
CVE-2021-36183- CVSS 3.1
- 7.4 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - CVSS 3.1
- 7.8 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 7.2 High
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2021-36183 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.4) in Fortinet Forticlient, published November 2, 2021. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.33%, the 26th percentile. No source names a fixed version.