CVE-2025-67685 is a Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability identified in Fortinet FortiSandbox versions 4.0.x, 4.2.x, 4.4.x, and 5.0.0 through 5.0.4. FortiSandbox is a security appliance used for advanced threat detection and sandboxing of suspicious files and network traffic. The vulnerability arises from improper access control that allows an authenticated attacker to craft HTTP requests that proxy internal network requests through the FortiSandbox device. However, the proxying is limited to plaintext endpoints only, which restricts the attacker's ability to access or manipulate sensitive internal services that require encrypted or authenticated communication. Exploitation requires the attacker to have valid credentials with high privileges on the FortiSandbox management interface, and no user interaction is needed beyond authentication. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality and integrity to a limited extent, as attackers can potentially access internal resources or services that are otherwise inaccessible externally, but cannot disrupt availability or execute arbitrary code. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 3.4, reflecting low severity due to the limited scope and impact. No public exploits or active exploitation have been reported to date. The vulnerability was publicly disclosed in January 2026, with Fortinet expected to release patches or mitigations. FortiSandbox is widely used in enterprise and government sectors for malware analysis and network security, making this vulnerability relevant for organizations relying on Fortinet's security ecosystem.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-67685 is primarily related to potential unauthorized internal network reconnaissance and limited data exposure within internal plaintext services. Since exploitation requires authenticated access with high privileges, the risk is mitigated if strong access controls and credential management are enforced. However, if an attacker compromises credentials or insider threats exist, they could leverage this vulnerability to pivot into internal network segments, potentially exposing sensitive internal systems or data. This could undermine the confidentiality and integrity of internal communications and security monitoring processes. The vulnerability does not affect availability, so denial-of-service or system outages are unlikely. Organizations in critical infrastructure sectors, such as energy, finance, and government, which often deploy FortiSandbox for advanced threat detection, may face increased risk if internal network segmentation is weak. The limited scope of plaintext endpoints reduces the severity but does not eliminate the threat of lateral movement or information gathering within internal networks.

1. Apply patches or updates from Fortinet as soon as they become available to address CVE-2025-67685. 2. Restrict access to the FortiSandbox management interface to trusted administrators only, using network segmentation, VPNs, or jump hosts. 3. Enforce strong authentication mechanisms, including multi-factor authentication (MFA), for all FortiSandbox user accounts, especially those with high privileges. 4. Regularly audit and monitor FortiSandbox user accounts and access logs to detect unauthorized or suspicious activity. 5. Limit the privileges of user accounts to the minimum necessary to reduce the risk of exploitation. 6. Implement network segmentation to isolate FortiSandbox and sensitive internal services, minimizing the impact of SSRF proxying. 7. Disable or restrict access to unnecessary plaintext internal endpoints that could be targeted via SSRF. 8. Conduct internal penetration testing and vulnerability assessments to identify potential exploitation paths. 9. Educate administrators on the risks of credential compromise and enforce strong password policies. 10. Maintain up-to-date incident response plans to quickly address any detected exploitation attempts.