CVE-2025-46215 is an improper isolation or compartmentalization vulnerability (CWE-653) identified in multiple versions of Fortinet FortiSandbox, specifically versions 4.0.0 through 5.0.1. FortiSandbox is a security product designed to analyze suspicious files and detect malware by executing them in a controlled environment or sandbox. The vulnerability allows an unauthenticated attacker to craft files that can evade the sandbox scanning process, effectively bypassing the security mechanism intended to detect malicious behavior. This evasion is possible due to flaws in how FortiSandbox isolates and compartmentalizes the execution environment, allowing unauthorized code or commands to run without triggering detection. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 5.0 (medium severity), reflecting network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), no confidentiality impact (C:N), limited integrity impact (I:L), and no availability impact (A:N). The exploitability is rated as proof-of-concept (E:P), with confirmed remediation (RC:C). No known exploits are currently reported in the wild. This vulnerability undermines the integrity of the sandboxing process, potentially allowing malware to bypass detection and execute unauthorized commands, which could be leveraged as a foothold for further compromise or lateral movement within a network.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2025-46215 lies in the potential failure of FortiSandbox to detect and contain malicious files, leading to increased risk of malware infections and subsequent attacks. Since FortiSandbox is often deployed in enterprise environments for advanced threat detection, bypassing its protections could allow attackers to infiltrate networks undetected, compromising data integrity and potentially enabling further exploitation such as lateral movement or persistence. The vulnerability does not directly affect confidentiality or availability but degrades the effectiveness of a critical security control. Organizations in sectors with high security requirements, such as finance, government, healthcare, and critical infrastructure, may face elevated risks if their malware detection capabilities are circumvented. Additionally, the unauthenticated nature of the vulnerability means attackers can exploit it remotely without credentials, increasing the attack surface. The lack of current exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the potential for future attacks, especially as threat actors often target widely deployed security products.

1. Apply official patches or updates from Fortinet as soon as they become available to address CVE-2025-46215. 2. Until patches are deployed, implement strict network segmentation to isolate FortiSandbox appliances from untrusted networks and limit exposure to potentially malicious files. 3. Enhance monitoring and logging around FortiSandbox to detect unusual file submissions or suspicious activity indicative of sandbox evasion attempts. 4. Employ defense-in-depth by using complementary security controls such as endpoint detection and response (EDR) and network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) to catch threats that bypass sandboxing. 5. Restrict access to FortiSandbox management interfaces and ensure strong authentication and authorization controls are in place. 6. Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing to verify the effectiveness of sandboxing and related controls. 7. Educate security teams about this vulnerability to increase awareness and readiness to respond to potential exploitation attempts.