CVE-2025-9242
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 · uneditedAn Out-of-bounds Write vulnerability in the WatchGuard Fireware OS iked process may allow a remote unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code. This vulnerability affects both the mobile user VPN with IKEv2 and the branch office VPN using IKEv2 when configured with a dynamic gateway peer. If the Firebox was previously configured with the mobile user VPN with IKEv2 or a branch office VPN using IKEv2 to a dynamic gateway peer, and both of those configurations have since been deleted, that Firebox may still be vulnerable if a branch office VPN to a static gateway peer is still configured.
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 confidenceAn out-of-bounds write vulnerability in the iked (IKE daemon) process of WatchGuard Fireware OS allows remote unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code. The vulnerability affects mobile user VPN with IKEv2 and branch office VPN using IKEv2 with dynamic gateway peer configurations. Notably, even after deleting these vulnerable VPN configurations, the Firebox may remain vulnerable if a branch office VPN to a static gateway peer is still configured.
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>= 11.10.2, < 12.11.4>= 11.10.2, < 12.5.13= 2025.1CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Fireware OS versionAccess the Firebox management interface (Web UI or CLI) and navigate to System > Dashboard or use the 'fireware' CLI command to view the current OS version.Affected if The installed version is 11.10.2 or higher but lower than 12.11.4, or exactly 2025.1.
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Verify IKEv2 VPN is enabledIn Firebox Web UI, go to VPN > Branch Office VPN or VPN > Mobile User VPN and check if any IKEv2 VPN tunnels are configured and enabled.Affected if At least one IKEv2-based VPN tunnel (Branch Office or Mobile User) is active.
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Identify dynamic gateway peer configurationIn the VPN tunnel settings, examine the gateway peer configuration for each IKEv2 tunnel. Look for settings that specify 'Dynamic' or 'DHCP-assigned' as the remote gateway type, or check if the peer IP is set to obtain automatically.Affected if Any IKEv2 VPN tunnel is configured with a dynamic gateway peer (not a static IP address).
A system is affected if it runs Fireware OS version 11.10.2 through 12.11.3 or exactly version 2025.1, AND has an IKEv2-based VPN (Branch Office or Mobile User) configured with a dynamic gateway peer.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped12.5.1312.11.4
Apply the vendor-supplied firmware update for WatchGuard Fireware OS that addresses this vulnerability. Review and reconfigure or remove all IKEv2 VPN configurations, including static gateway peer VPNs, to ensure the vulnerable code paths are not triggered.
Fireware OS 12.11.4 or later (for 12.x), or 12.5.13 or later (for 12.0-12.4.x)
- Identify the current Fireware OS version on the WatchGuard device via the web UI or CLI (diagnose command)
- Download the appropriate fixed Fireware OS version from WatchGuard's official support portal (12.11.4 or later for 12.x releases, 12.5.13 or later for 12.0-12.4.x releases)
- Review the WatchGuard upgrade guide and release notes for compatibility and prerequisites
- Back up the current device configuration through the web UI or CLI
- Upload the firmware file through the Fireware Web UI (System > Firmware) or via the CLI upgrade command
- Reboot the device to complete the firmware installation
- After reboot, verify the device is running the fixed version and confirm VPN configurations (Mobile User VPN with IKEv2 and Branch Office VPN with IKEv2 with dynamic gateway peer) are operational
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-9242 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-9242 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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