CVE-2021-44168: in the CISA KEV catalogue
Fortinet FortiOS Arbitrary File Download. CISA added CVE-2021-44168 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 2021-12-10 with a default due date of 2021-12-24. Known ransomware campaign use: Unknown. Forensic triage flag: No.
Fortinet FortiOS "execute restore src-vis" downloads code without integrity checking, allowing an attacker to arbitrarily download files. (CISA description)
- Vendor / product
- Fortinet FortiOS
- CWE
- CWE-494
- CISA required action
- Apply updates per vendor instructions.
- EPSS
- 0.91%, percentile 59 (scored 2026-11-03)
EPSS puts about 9.1 in 1,000 odds (0.91%) on exploitation activity being observed in the next 30 days. Its score is higher than or equal to that of 59% of scored CVEs. Most CVEs score under 1%, so a high percentile can sit on a small probability: read the percentage first.
Vendor and reference links (from CISA)
Your own deadline under CISA BOD 26-04 depends on exposure, automatability and technical impact: work it out with the BOD 26-04 calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Is CVE-2021-44168 in the CISA KEV catalogue?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2021-44168 (Fortinet FortiOS Arbitrary File Download) to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 2021-12-10. CISA's default due date for it is 2021-12-24.
Is CVE-2021-44168 used in ransomware attacks?
CISA marks known ransomware campaign use as Unknown for CVE-2021-44168. That means CISA lacks confirmation, not that ransomware groups do not use it.
What should I do about CVE-2021-44168?
CISA's required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Sources
- CISA, Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog (accessed 2026-11-03)
- FIRST, Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS) (EPSS by FIRST; scores generated by Empirical Security)
- NVD record for CVE-2021-44168