CVE-2025-58325 is an Incorrect Provision of Specified Functionality vulnerability (CWE-684) found in Fortinet's FortiOS operating system, impacting multiple versions including 6.4.0, 7.0.x, 7.2.x, 7.4.x, and 7.6.0. The flaw allows a local attacker who already has authenticated access with high privileges to escalate their privileges further by executing arbitrary system commands through specially crafted CLI commands. This vulnerability arises from improper handling of CLI input or command execution logic, enabling attackers to bypass intended restrictions and gain control over the underlying system. The CVSS v3.1 score of 7.8 reflects high severity, with attack vector local (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring high privileges (PR:H), no user interaction (UI:N), and scope changed (S:C). The impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is high, as successful exploitation can lead to full system compromise. Although no public exploits have been reported, the vulnerability poses a significant risk to organizations relying on FortiOS for perimeter defense, VPN, and network segmentation. The vulnerability was reserved on August 28, 2025, and published on October 14, 2025, indicating recent discovery and disclosure. Fortinet has not yet provided patch links, so organizations must monitor for updates and consider interim mitigations.

For European organizations, this vulnerability presents a critical risk due to the widespread use of Fortinet FortiOS in enterprise and government networks for firewalling, VPN, and secure access. Exploitation could allow malicious insiders or attackers who have gained local authenticated access to execute arbitrary commands, potentially leading to full system compromise, data exfiltration, disruption of network services, and lateral movement within the network. This could impact confidentiality of sensitive data, integrity of network configurations, and availability of critical security infrastructure. Given the strategic importance of network security appliances, exploitation could disrupt critical infrastructure sectors such as finance, healthcare, telecommunications, and government services across Europe. The lack of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate it, as proof-of-concept exploits may emerge rapidly. Organizations with large Fortinet deployments or those in high-risk sectors should prioritize remediation to prevent potential targeted attacks or insider threats.

1. Monitor Fortinet’s official channels closely for security patches addressing CVE-2025-58325 and apply them immediately upon release. 2. Restrict local administrative access to FortiOS devices to trusted personnel only, enforcing strict access controls and multi-factor authentication to reduce risk of credential compromise. 3. Implement network segmentation to isolate FortiOS management interfaces from general user networks, limiting exposure to local authenticated attackers. 4. Conduct regular audits of user accounts and privileges on FortiOS devices to detect and remove unnecessary or outdated accounts with high privileges. 5. Enable and review detailed logging of CLI commands and administrative actions to detect suspicious or unauthorized command execution attempts. 6. Consider deploying host-based intrusion detection systems (HIDS) or endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions on management workstations to detect lateral movement or exploitation attempts. 7. Educate administrators on the risks of privilege escalation vulnerabilities and enforce the principle of least privilege for device management. 8. If patches are delayed, consider temporary compensating controls such as disabling unused CLI functionalities or restricting CLI access via firewall rules where feasible.