dbcve.org
FortiosOperating system · Fortinet

CVE-2025-25249

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-01-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.4.17 / 7.0.6 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Fortinet FortiOS 7.6.0 through 7.6.3, FortiOS 7.4.0 through 7.4.8, FortiOS 7.2.0 through 7.2.11, FortiOS 7.0.0 through 7.0.17, FortiOS 6.4 all versions, FortiSwitchManager 7.2.0 through 7.2.6, FortiSwitchManager 7.0.0 through 7.0.5 allows attacker to execute unauthorized code or commands via specially crafted packets

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Fortinet FortiOS and FortiSwitchManager allows remote attackers to execute unauthorized code or commands via specially crafted network packets. The vulnerability exists in packet processing functionality and can be exploited without authentication, making it critically dangerous.

MitigationUpgrade FortiOS to versions 7.4.9+, 7.2.12+, 7.0.18+, or 7.6.4+ (or latest available), and FortiSwitchManager to 7.2.7+ or 7.0.6+ (or latest). Apply vendor patches immediately as this is a critical RCE vulnerability.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
FortiosOperating system
Affected:>= 6.4.0, < 6.4.17>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.18>= 7.2.0, < 7.2.12>= 7.4.0, < 7.4.9>= 7.6.0, < 7.6.4
FortiswitchmanagerApplication
Affected:>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.6>= 7.2.0, < 7.2.7
FortisaseApplication
Affected:= 25.1.39= 25.1.51

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify FortiOS version
    Run command: get system status. Look for 'FortiOS' or 'Version' line in output.
    Affected if Version falls in ranges: 6.4.0-6.4.16, 7.0.0-7.0.17, 7.2.0-7.2.11, 7.4.0-7.4.8, or 7.6.0-7.6.3
  2. Identify FortiSwitchManager version
    Run command: fmget status or get system status. Look for 'FortiSwitchManager' version line.
    Affected if Version is 7.0.0-7.0.5 or 7.2.0-7.2.6
  3. Identify FortiSASE version
    Run command: get system status. Look for 'FortiSASE' version entry.
    Affected if Version is exactly 25.1.39 or 25.1.51
  4. Confirm product type
    Review the first line of get system status output to determine which Fortinet product is running.
    Affected if Running FortiOS, FortiSwitchManager, or FortiSASE with a version matching the affected ranges above

You are affected if your FortiOS, FortiSwitchManager, or FortiSASE version matches any of the specific vulnerable version ranges listed, and the vulnerable heap allocation feature is in use.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 6.4.17 / 7.0.6 / 7.0.18 or later
Fixed in 6.4.177.0.67.0.18
Interim mitigation

Upgrade FortiOS to versions 7.4.9+, 7.2.12+, 7.0.18+, or 7.6.4+ (or latest available), and FortiSwitchManager to 7.2.7+ or 7.0.6+ (or latest). Apply vendor patches immediately as this is a critical RCE vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

FortiOS 6.4.17+, 7.0.18+, 7.2.12+, or 7.4.9+ | FortiSwitchManager 7.0.6+ or 7.2.7+ | FortiASE latest version after 25.1.51

  1. 1. Identify the exact FortiOS, FortiSwitchManager, or FortiASE version currently installed via the CLI command: get system status
  2. 2. For FortiOS 6.4.x deployments: upgrade to FortiOS 6.4.17 or later
  3. 3. For FortiOS 7.0.x deployments: upgrade to FortiOS 7.0.18 or later
  4. 4. For FortiOS 7.2.x deployments: upgrade to FortiOS 7.2.12 or later
  5. 5. For FortiOS 7.4.x deployments: upgrade to FortiOS 7.4.9 or later
  6. 6. For FortiSwitchManager 7.0.x deployments: upgrade to FortiSwitchManager 7.0.6 or later
  7. 7. For FortiSwitchManager 7.2.x deployments: upgrade to FortiSwitchManager 7.2.7 or later
  8. 8. For FortiASE 25.1.x deployments: upgrade to the latest available FortiASE version (later than 25.1.51)
Caveat Major version upgrades (e.g., 6.4 to 7.0) may require configuration review; always test in a staging environment before production deployment

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Fortios Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
40.0 hours of engineering $7,000
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $11,200.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-25249 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-25249 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data