CVE-2025-53609VulnerabilityPublished 9 Sep 2025Updated 14 Jan 2026

CVE-2025-53609: Fortinet FortiWeb · Information disclosure

Affects Fortinet FortiWebSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · 10% EPSS · CVSS 4.7 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

4.7Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 10.6% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 95% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N/E:P/RL:X/RC:C

Base metrics

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: High
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Temporal metrics

Exploit Code Maturity: Proof-of-Concept
Report Confidence: Confirmed

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: High: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide significant (e.g., administrative) control over the vulnerable component that could affect component-wide settings and files.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.
Exploit Code Maturity: Proof-of-Concept: Proof-of-concept exploit code is available, or an attack demonstration is not practical for most systems. The code or technique is not functional in all situations and may require substantial modification by a skilled attacker.
Report Confidence: Confirmed: Detailed reports exist, or functional reproduction is possible (functional exploits may provide this). Source code is available to independently verify the assertions of the research, or the author or vendor of the affected code has confirmed the presence of the vulnerability.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 9 Sep 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-26.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Fortinet FortiWeb	Affected =7.6.0 =7.4.0 =7.2.0 =7.0.2	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

1. Apply official patches from Fortinet as soon as they become available for affected FortiWeb versions to remediate the path traversal vulnerability. 2. Restrict administrative and high-privilege access to FortiWeb management interfaces using network segmentation, VPNs, and strong multi-factor authentication to reduce the risk of credential compromise. 3. Implement strict role-based access controls (RBAC) to limit the number of users with high privileges capable of exploiting this vulnerability. 4. Monitor FortiWeb logs and system file access patterns for unusual or unauthorized file read attempts indicative of exploitation attempts. 5. Conduct regular audits of FortiWeb configurations and user accounts to detect and remove stale or unnecessary privileged accounts. 6. Employ network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) with signatures or heuristics for path traversal attack patterns targeting FortiWeb. 7. Educate administrators on the risks of path traversal vulnerabilities and the importance of safeguarding credentials. 8. Consider deploying additional endpoint and network monitoring to detect lateral movement or data exfiltration attempts following potential exploitation. 9. Maintain an incident response plan that includes procedures for handling FortiWeb compromise scenarios. 10. Stay updated with Fortinet security advisories and threat intelligence feeds for any emerging exploit developments.

Description

A Relative Path Traversal vulnerability [CWE-23] in FortiWeb 7.6.0 through 7.6.4, 7.4.0 through 7.4.8, 7.2.0 through 7.2.11, 7.0.2 through 7.0.11 may allow an authenticated attacker to perform an arbitrary file read on the underlying system via crafted requests.

Impact

For European organizations, the primary impact is unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information stored on FortiWeb devices, including configuration files, credentials, or logs that could facilitate further attacks or data breaches. This could compromise confidentiality of protected data and weaken the security posture of web applications behind FortiWeb. Since exploitation requires authenticated access with high privileges, the threat is more relevant to insider threats or attackers who have already compromised administrative credentials. The vulnerability does not affect system integrity or availability, so direct service disruption is unlikely. However, the exposure of sensitive files could lead to secondary impacts such as credential theft, lateral movement, or compliance violations under GDPR if personal data is involved. Organizations in sectors with stringent data protection requirements, such as finance, healthcare, and government, may face increased regulatory and reputational risks. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the need for prompt remediation. European entities using FortiWeb as a critical security layer should consider this vulnerability a moderate risk that requires timely patching and access control review.

References

fortiguard.fortinet.com/psirt/FG-IR-25-512 (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 14 Jan 2026, 14:58 UTC

Technical details

References

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