# CVE-2021-42754: Code injection in Fortinet FortiClientMac

> An authenticated attacker can hijack the macOS camera without user permission by injecting a malicious dylib file into FortiClient.

- **Severity:** Low 3.2 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N/E:F/RL:X/RC:C`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 2 Nov 2021
- **Updated:** 25 Oct 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-5vh5-7q79-c2mp

## What is CVE-2021-42754?

CVE-2021-42754 is a low-severity code injection vulnerability in Fortinet Forticlient, published on 2 Nov 2021. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

An improper control of generation of code vulnerability [CWE-94] in FortiClientMacOS versions 7.0.0 and below and 6.4.5 and below may allow an authenticated attacker to hijack the MacOS camera without the user permission via the malicious dylib file.

Weakness: CWE-94 (Improper Control of Generation of Code)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-42754?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Fortinet Forticlient.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-42754?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-42754 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-42754 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-42754 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Fortinet Forticlient

- [CVE-2019-17658](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-17658/): Privilege escalation in Fortinet FortiClientWindows (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2023-45590](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-45590/): Code injection in FortiClientLinux (critical 9.4)
- [CVE-2017-14184](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-14184/): Information disclosure in FortiClient SSLVPN Client for Linux (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2016-8493](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-8493/): Privilege escalation in Fortinet FortiClient (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2020-15934](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-15934/): Privilege escalation in FortiClientLinux (high 8.6)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-42754 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-42754 is a low-severity code injection vulnerability in Fortinet Forticlient, published on 2 Nov 2021. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-42754 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Fortinet Forticlient. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-42754/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-42754/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-42754
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-42754
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-42754

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-42754/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.