Ethical Hacking News
Fortinet has issued a critical warning about a remote, unauthenticated command injection flaw in their FortiSIEM security monitoring and analytics system. This vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-25256, allows an attacker to execute unauthorized code via crafted CLI requests, posing significant risks to organizations using the system.
Fortinet has issued a critical warning about a remote, unauthenticated command injection flaw (CVE-2025-25256) in their FortiSIEM system. The vulnerability allows attackers to execute unauthorized code or commands via crafted CLI requests. The exploit exists in the wild and functional exploit code has been found, making it a high-risk scenario. Exploitation of this vulnerability does not produce distinctive IoCs, making it challenging for organizations to identify compromised devices. Fortinet advises applying latest security updates as soon as possible for affected FortiSIEM versions (7.3.2, 7.2.6, 7.1.8, 7.0.4, and 6.7.10). Limited access to the phMonitor on port 7900 can help reduce exposure until an upgrade can be performed. Organizations managing older FortiSIEM versions are advised to migrate to a newer, actively supported release for patching and security updates.
Fortinet has issued a critical warning about a remote, unauthenticated command injection flaw in their FortiSIEM security monitoring and analytics system. This vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-25256 and rated at 9.8 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) scale, has already been exploited in the wild, according to the company.
FortiSIEM is a widely used tool by governments, large enterprises, financial institutions, healthcare providers, and managed security service providers (MSSPs). It serves as an essential component of security operation centers, where it provides logging, network telemetry, and security incident alerts. The system's central role in security operations makes its vulnerability particularly concerning.
According to Fortinet, the flaw allows an unauthenticated attacker to execute unauthorized code or commands via crafted CLI requests. This is due to an improper neutralization of special elements used in an operating system command (OS Command Injection) vulnerability, specifically tracked as CWE-78. The company highlights that practical exploit code for this vulnerability was found in the wild.
While Fortinet does not explicitly state that the flaw was exploited as a zero-day, they confirm that functional exploit code exists for the flaw. This means that attackers can use this exploit to gain unauthorized access to systems running FortiSIEM without needing authentication credentials. The fact that practical exploit code has been found in the wild underscores the urgency of the situation.
Fortinet emphasizes that exploitation of this vulnerability does not produce distinctive IoCs (Indicators of Compromise) to determine if a device has been compromised. This makes it challenging for organizations and security teams to identify whether their systems have been targeted by an attacker exploiting this vulnerability.
In light of this critical warning, Fortinet advises organizations to apply the latest security updates for CVE-2025-25256 as soon as possible. The recommended update paths are to one of the following FortiSIEM versions:
- FortiSIEM 7.3.2
- FortiSIEM 7.2.6
- FortiSIEM 7.1.8
- FortiSIEM 7.0.4
- FortiSIEM 6.7.10
Fortinet also suggests limiting access to the phMonitor on port 7900, as this is the entry point for malicious exploitation. While this workaround reduces exposure and buys time until an upgrade can be performed, it does not fix the underlying vulnerability.
Organizations managing older FortiSIEM versions are advised to migrate to a newer, actively supported release, as these will receive patches for the flaw. The fact that some versions of FortiSIEM (5.4 to 6.6) are no longer supported and will not receive any patches for this vulnerability highlights the importance of keeping software up to date.
This critical warning serves as a reminder of the ongoing need for robust cybersecurity measures and timely patching. As highlighted by Fortinet, organizations must prioritize their security posture to mitigate the risks posed by vulnerabilities like the one affecting FortiSIEM.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/Fortinet-Warns-of-Critical-FortiSIEM-Pre-Auth-RCE-Flaw-Exploited-in-the-Wild-ehn.shtml
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/fortinet-warns-of-fortisiem-pre-auth-rce-flaw-with-exploit-in-the-wild/
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-25256
https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2025-25256/
Published: Wed Aug 13 16:25:21 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
