How severe is CVE-2023-41840?

CVE-2023-41840 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2023-41840 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (23rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2023-41840?

CVE-2023-41840 primarily affects Fortinet Forticlient. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2023-41840?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2023-41840 published?

CVE-2023-41840 was published on 2023-11-14 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2023-41840

CVE-2023-41840 is a high-severity vulnerability in Fortinet Forticlient with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-426.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (23rd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-426
Affected product: Fortinet Forticlient
Published: 2023-11-14
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

A untrusted search path vulnerability in Fortinet FortiClientWindows 7.0.9 allows an attacker to perform a DLL Hijack attack via a malicious OpenSSL engine library in the search path.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-41840?: A untrusted search path vulnerability in Fortinet FortiClientWindows 7.0.9 allows an attacker to perform a DLL Hijack attack via a malicious OpenSSL engine library in the search path.
How severe is CVE-2023-41840?: CVE-2023-41840 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2023-41840 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (23rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2023-41840?: CVE-2023-41840 primarily affects Fortinet Forticlient. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2023-41840?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2023-41840 published?: CVE-2023-41840 was published on 2023-11-14 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://fortiguard.com/psirt/FG-IR-23-274

Affected products (3)

cpe:2.3:a:fortinet:forticlient:7.0.9:*:*:*:*:windows:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:fortinet:forticlient:7.2.0:*:*:*:*:windows:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:fortinet:forticlient:7.2.1:*:*:*:*:windows:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Fortinet Forticlient

CVE-2019-17658 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): An unquoted service path vulnerability in the FortiClient FortiTray component of FortiClientWindows v6.2.2 and prior…
CVE-2023-45590 — Critical (CVSS 9.6): An improper control of generation of code ('code injection') in Fortinet FortiClientLinux version 7.2.0, 7.0.6 through…
CVE-2020-15934 — High (CVSS 8.8): An execution with unnecessary privileges vulnerability in the VCM engine of FortiClient for Linux versions 6.2.7 and…
CVE-2017-14184 — High (CVSS 8.8): An Information Disclosure vulnerability in Fortinet FortiClient for Windows 5.6.0 and below versions, FortiClient for…
CVE-2016-8493 — High (CVSS 8.8): In FortiClientWindows 5.4.1 and 5.4.2, an attacker may escalate privilege via a FortiClientNamedPipe vulnerability.
CVE-2021-43066 — High (CVSS 8.4): A external control of file name or path in Fortinet FortiClientWindows version 7.0.2 and below, version 6.4.6 and…

All CVEs affecting Fortinet Forticlient →

Other CWE-426 (Untrusted Search Path) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-45772 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Turborepo is a high-performance build system for JavaScript and TypeScript codebases. From 1.1.0 to before 2.9.14,…
CVE-2025-26155 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): NCP Secure Enterprise Client 13.18 and NCP Secure Entry Windows Client 13.19 have an Untrusted Search Path…
CVE-2024-53866 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The package manager pnpm prior to version 9.15.0 seems to mishandle overrides and global cache: Overrides from one…
CVE-2024-38462 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): iRODS before 4.3.2 provides an msiSendMail function with a problematic dependency on the mail binary, such as in the…
CVE-2023-30330 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): SoftExpert (SE) Excellence Suite 2.x versions before 2.1.3 is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion in the function…
CVE-2022-24826 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): On Windows, if Git LFS operates on a malicious repository with a `..exe` file as well as a file named `git.exe`, and…

Browse all CWE-426 (Untrusted Search Path) vulnerabilities →