# CVE-2025-25256: FortiSIEM - RCE

> Live exploitation tracking for CVE-2025-25256 by the CrowdSec Live Exploit Tracker, built from real-world attack data crowdsourced from CrowdSec's global network.

Page: https://tracker.crowdsec.net/cves/CVE-2025-25256

## Key facts

- **Exploitation phase:** Limited Exploitation. The vulnerability is known but shows very limited attacker interest or exploitation activity.
- **CVSS score:** 9.8
- **Public exploit available:** Yes
- **Affected products:** Fortinet FortiSIEM
- **Weaknesses:** CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection'))
- **Tags:** enterprise_software, firewall

## Description

An improper neutralization of special elements used in an OS command ('OS Command Injection') vulnerability [CWE-78] in Fortinet FortiSIEM version 7.3.0 through 7.3.1, 7.2.0 through 7.2.5, 7.1.0 through 7.1.7, 7.0.0 through 7.0.3 and before 6.7.9 allows an unauthenticated attacker to execute unauthorized code or commands via crafted CLI requests.

## CrowdSec analysis

[CVE-2025-25256](https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/CVE-2025-25256) is a critical OS command injection vulnerability in multiple versions of Fortinet FortiSIEM, allowing unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code or commands through specially crafted CLI requests. This flaw could be exploited remotely to gain full control over affected systems, leading to data breaches, system compromise, or disruption of security monitoring operations.

CrowdSec has been tracking this vulnerability and its exploits since 3rd of September 2025.

CrowdSec has not observed any significant exploitation activity targeting CVE-2025-25256 across its network. As a result, no community-driven trend analysis is available for this vulnerability at this time.

Attackers exploit FortiSIEM instances by sending specially crafted TCP payloads to port 7900, embedding OS commands within XML fields such as `<archive_nfs_archive_dir>`, enabling remote command execution without authentication.

## Timeline

- 2025-08-12: CVE Published. CVE-2025-25256 is published to NVD.
- 2025-09-03: Rule Released. CrowdSec releases a rule to detect CVE-2025-25256 exploitation attempts against the CrowdSec Network.

## References

- https://github.com/watchtowrlabs/watchTowr-vs-FortiSIEM-CVE-2025-25256
- https://fortiguard.fortinet.com/psirt/FG-IR-25-152
- https://labs.watchtowr.com/should-security-solutions-be-secure-maybe-were-all-wrong-fortinet-fortisiem-pre-auth-command-injection-cve-2025-25256/
- https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/network/cves/2025/CVE-2025-25256.yaml

## Live exploitation data

The [Live Exploit Tracker page](https://tracker.crowdsec.net/cves/CVE-2025-25256) follows observed exploitation activity for CVE-2025-25256. [Request an API key](https://tracker.crowdsec.net/request-api-key) for full access to its exploitation timeline, attacking IP addresses and blocklists.