The KRVTZ-NET IDS alerts dated February 11, 2026, report network reconnaissance activity targeting Fortigate VPN devices. The alerts highlight repeated GET requests to the /remote/logincheck endpoint, which is vulnerable under CVE-2023-27997. This vulnerability enables unauthenticated attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms, potentially gaining unauthorized access to the VPN management interface. The reconnaissance activity is characterized by multiple IP addresses, predominantly from Asian IP ranges, exhibiting suspicious user-agent strings marked as '_TEST_', indicative of automated scanning or probing tools. While no active exploitation or ransomware campaigns have been observed, reconnaissance is a critical initial phase in the attack kill chain, often preceding exploitation attempts. The absence of patches or vendor advisories in the report suggests organizations must rely on detection, monitoring, and network-level controls to defend against exploitation. The feed categorizes this activity under OSINT and network activity with a low severity rating, reflecting the current reconnaissance stage. The technical details include a unique UUID and timestamp but lack a CVSS score. Given the widespread deployment of Fortigate VPN appliances in Europe for secure remote access, especially in sectors like finance, government, and critical infrastructure, this reconnaissance activity signals an elevated risk of future exploitation attempts that could compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability of corporate networks.

For European organizations, this reconnaissance activity increases the risk of subsequent exploitation of the Fortigate VPN vulnerability CVE-2023-27997. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to VPN management interfaces, enabling attackers to infiltrate corporate networks, exfiltrate sensitive data, or move laterally within internal systems. Given the critical role of Fortigate VPNs in providing secure remote access across European industries such as finance, government, healthcare, and critical infrastructure, a breach could severely impact confidentiality and integrity of sensitive information. Additionally, attackers might disrupt VPN availability, causing denial-of-service conditions or persistent unauthorized access. The presence of multiple suspicious IPs scanning from outside Europe suggests foreign threat actors conducting pre-attack surveillance, increasing the likelihood of targeted attacks. Failure to detect and mitigate these reconnaissance attempts could escalate the threat to high-impact breaches, potentially affecting business continuity and regulatory compliance. Overall, the threat underscores the importance of securing VPN endpoints to protect European organizations from advanced persistent threats and cyber espionage.

1. Restrict access to Fortigate VPN management interfaces by implementing strict IP whitelisting, allowing only trusted administrative networks. 2. Deploy and fine-tune IDS/IPS solutions to detect and alert on repeated GET requests to /remote/logincheck and other suspicious patterns linked to CVE-2023-27997. 3. Continuously monitor VPN logs for anomalous authentication attempts and unusual user-agent strings indicative of automated scanning tools. 4. Apply Fortigate firmware updates and security patches promptly once available, and subscribe to vendor advisories for early warnings. 5. Segment VPN infrastructure from critical internal networks to limit lateral movement in case of compromise. 6. Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all VPN access to mitigate risks from credential theft or bypass. 7. Conduct regular threat hunting focused on reconnaissance and exploitation attempts targeting VPN devices. 8. Restrict outbound traffic from internal networks to prevent potential command and control communications if a breach occurs. 9. Train security teams to recognize early reconnaissance indicators and respond swiftly with containment measures. 10. Collaborate with threat intelligence providers to stay updated on emerging exploits and attacker tactics related to Fortigate VPN vulnerabilities.