CVE-2024-54027 is a vulnerability identified in Fortinet's FortiSandbox product, affecting versions 5.0.0 and earlier, including 4.4.6 and below, 4.2.7 and below, 4.0.5 and below, and several 3.x versions. The core issue is the use of a hard-coded cryptographic key (CWE-321), which is embedded within the product's code and used for cryptographic operations. This improper access control flaw allows an attacker who already possesses super-admin privileges and CLI access to leverage the hard-coded key to decrypt or access sensitive data that should otherwise be protected. The vulnerability requires local or network access to the CLI interface and high privileges, meaning it is not exploitable by unauthenticated or low-privilege users. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 7.8, reflecting high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with partial exploitability due to the privilege requirement. The vulnerability is significant because FortiSandbox is widely used for advanced threat detection and malware analysis, and exposure of sensitive data could lead to further compromise or data leakage. No public exploits or active exploitation have been reported yet, but the presence of a hard-coded key is a critical security weakness that attackers could leverage if they gain super-admin CLI access. Fortinet has not yet published patches or mitigation details at the time of this report, so organizations must rely on access control and monitoring as interim measures.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2024-54027 is considerable, especially for those relying on FortiSandbox for malware analysis and threat detection. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive data, including potentially decrypted malware samples, internal detection logic, or other confidential information stored or processed by FortiSandbox. This could facilitate further attacks, including lateral movement or evasion of security controls. The integrity of sandbox analysis results could be compromised, undermining trust in security operations. Availability may also be affected if attackers manipulate or disrupt sandbox operations. Given Fortinet's strong presence in European enterprise and government sectors, particularly in critical infrastructure, finance, and telecommunications, the vulnerability poses a risk to operational security and data privacy compliance under regulations like GDPR. The requirement for super-admin CLI access limits the threat to insiders or attackers who have already breached perimeter defenses, but the potential damage remains high.

1. Immediately restrict super-admin CLI access to trusted personnel only and enforce strong authentication mechanisms such as multi-factor authentication (MFA). 2. Monitor CLI access logs for unusual or unauthorized activity to detect potential exploitation attempts early. 3. Apply network segmentation to limit access to FortiSandbox management interfaces, reducing exposure to attackers. 4. Regularly audit user privileges and remove unnecessary super-admin rights. 5. Stay updated with Fortinet advisories and apply patches or upgrades as soon as they become available to address the hard-coded key vulnerability. 6. Consider deploying compensating controls such as encryption of sensitive data at rest and in transit within FortiSandbox environments if supported. 7. Conduct internal security awareness and training to prevent credential compromise that could lead to privileged access. 8. Implement incident response plans specifically addressing potential compromise of sandbox environments.