FortiWeb Authentication Bypass Vulnerability (CVE-2025-52970)
HighWhat happened
A security researcher disclosed a vulnerability in FortiWeb's cookie parsing mechanism, allowing remote attackers to bypass authentication by forging session cookies.
Who is affected
Organizations using FortiWeb versions 7.0 to 7.6 are impacted by this vulnerability.
Why it matters
Exploitation enables attackers to impersonate any active user, including administrators, potentially leading to unauthorized access and control over affected systems.
How it could have been prevented
Implementing strict input validation and proper handling of cookie parameters could have mitigated this vulnerability.
Relevant professional terms
- Out-of-Bounds Read
- An error condition where a program reads data past the end of an allocated buffer, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive information.
- HMAC (Hash-based Message Authentication Code)
- A mechanism for calculating a message authentication code using a cryptographic hash function and a secret key, ensuring data integrity and authenticity.
Recommended reading: Fortinet PSIRT Blog on FortiWeb Authentication Bypass Vulnerability
