Hackers Actively Exploiting FortiGate Firewalls to Deploy Custom Node.js Malware
Attackers actively exploit CVE-2025-25249 in FortiGate firewalls to deploy PivotC2, a Node.js RAT that decrypts VPN and admin credentials.
SOCRadar assesses with high confidence that threat actors are actively exploiting CVE-2025-25249, a CVSS 9.8 heap buffer overflow in the cw_acd daemon (CAPWAP, UDP 5246) affecting FortiOS 6.4-7.6.3 and FortiSwitchManager 7.0.x/7.2.x. Attackers deploy fortirun.bin and PivotC2, a Node.js post-exploitation framework that harvests configurations and decrypts SSL-VPN, wireless, and admin credentials using AES-256-CBC and AES-128-GCM. Over 30,000 FortiGate IPs were scanned and 178 devices compromised, including two confirmed full intrusions of US organizations with Exchange mailbox exfiltration to Wasabi storage. STRU attributes the campaign to a Russian-speaking, financially motivated cybercrime operator.
- CVE-2025-25249: CVSS 9.8 heap overflow in FortiOS cw_acd daemon, actively exploited
- PivotC2 Node.js RAT decrypts VPN pre-shared keys, SSL-VPN and admin credentials
- 178 of 30,000 scanned FortiGate devices compromised; two full US network intrusions
- Russian-speaking, financially motivated operator; AI-assisted tooling suspected
- Patch to FortiOS 7.6.4/7.4.9/7.2.12/7.0.18; rotate all device credentials
Vulnerabilities mentioned
All| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Signals | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2025-25249 | Heap-Based Buffer Overflow in Fortinet FortiOS, FortiSwitchManager, and FortiSASE | 9.8 | 4% | KEVPoC | KEV |
From the original article
3 min read at cybersecuritynews.com
An active exploitation campaign targeting FortiGate firewalls, in which attackers weaponize a critical vulnerability to plant a custom-built Node. js remote access trojan (RAT) that turns compromised perimeter devices into long-term footholds for espionage and data theft. The SOCRadar Threat Research Unit (STRU) has identified, with high confidence, that threat actors are actively exploiting CVE-2025-25249, a […]
By Guru Baran · cybersecuritynews.com
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