Fortinet Code Execution Flaw Exploited in PivotC2 RAT Attacks
Threat actors exploit Fortinet heap-based buffer overflow CVE-2025-25249 to deploy PivotC2 RAT, infecting 178 devices and exfiltrating data from US targets.
SOCRadar reports exploitation of an unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability, CVE-2025-25249 (CVSS 7.4), patched in January in FortiOS and FortiSwitchManager. Attackers scanned over 30,000 IP addresses, infected 178 devices with PivotC2 RAT, and at least two intrusions resulted in data exfiltration, primarily targeting US entities. SOCRadar attributes attacks to a likely Russian-speaking cybercrime actor and suggests the RAT was AI-assisted, in use since July 2026. CISA added the CVE to the KEV catalog with a three-day BOD 26-04 patch deadline for federal agencies.
CVE-2025-25249 Exploitation Delivers PivotC2, a FortiGate Post-Exploitation RAT
Attackers exploiting CVE-2025-25249 in Fortinet FortiGate firewalls deploy PivotC2, a post-exploitation RAT, on exposed edge devices.
SOCRadar reports that exploitation of CVE-2025-25249 is being used to deploy PivotC2, a purpose-built post-exploitation RAT, on FortiGate firewall appliances. The attack follows the common pattern of compromising public-facing edge devices such as VPNs, routers, and firewalls as the initial entry point. Defenders running FortiGate appliances should prioritize patching and watch for post-exploitation activity indicating RAT deployment.
Weekly Cybersecurity Newsletter Bulletin – Microsoft 0-day, FortiOS, PAN-OS Flaw, Revolut Data Breach, and 20+ Stories
Weekly roundup: Microsoft patches 973 flaws including two actively exploited zero-days; FortiOS CAPWAP flaw deploys PivotC2 RAT; PAN-OS root RCE disclosed.
Microsoft's September 2026 Patch Tuesday fixed 973 vulnerabilities, including two zero-days under active exploitation: CVE-2026-85880 (Windows ALPC) and CVE-2026-81963 (Windows Update Stack), both elevation-of-privilege bugs. SOCRadar reported active exploitation of CVE-2025-25249 (CVSS 9.8) in FortiOS CAPWAP, deploying a Node.js RAT called PivotC2 that exfiltrates Exchange mailboxes to Wasabi cloud storage; 178 devices were compromised out of 30,000 scanned IPs, attributed to a Russian-speaking financially motivated group. Palo Alto disclosed CVE-2026-0310, a 9.2-rated buffer overflow enabling root code execution on PA-Series firewalls, and Fortinet disclosed CVE-2026-84393, a ZTNA certificate validation MITM flaw. Cyera also revealed CVE-2026-6471 ('PostGREShell'), a 12-year-old PostgreSQL logical-decoding flaw allowing code execution via REPLICATION-privileged accounts.
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.
⚡ Weekly Recap: Chrome 0-Day, Router Hijacks, Coder Supply Chain Attack and More
Weekly recap: actively exploited Chrome V8 zero-day, MikroTik RouterOS zero-day chain, Magento StyleSmuggler backdoor, and critical N-able N-central flaws.
Google patched an actively exploited Chrome V8 type confusion zero-day, CVE-2026-85046 (CVSS 8.8), the sixth exploited Chrome zero-day of 2026. CERT Polska warned of the MikroTrick exploit chain (CVE-2026-67276 and CVE-2026-86060, CVSS 9.2) giving unauthenticated full control of MikroTik RouterOS devices via SSH, observed since September 2. Sansec disclosed the StyleSmuggler Magento/Adobe Commerce zero-day used since September 4 to inject a Rust backdoor into online stores, while N-able patched three critical N-central flaws (CVE-2026-86206, CVE-2026-86207, and CVE-2026-86218, CVSS 10.0) with Huntress observing likely exploitation. Elastic and Morphisec also detailed RevStealer, an information stealer spread via game cheats and a fake Claude Desktop app.
BGP Hijack Delivers Malicious Virtualizor Update That Establishes Persistent Root Access
Attackers used a BGP hijack to divert Softaculous traffic and push a malicious Virtualizor update granting root persistence on some hypervisors.
Virtualizor reported that a BGP hijack between August 28 20:57 UTC and August 30 06:10 UTC diverted Softaculous update traffic to an attacker-operated server holding a valid Let's Encrypt certificate. Installations checking for updates during the window could receive a malicious package that added an attacker SSH key to root, created a proxyuser account, and installed a Java payload persisted via a systemd service. Hosting provider AlbaHost confirmed 5 of its 34 Virtualizor hypervisors were root-compromised. Virtualizor shipped Patch 9 with a Security Analyzer on September 1, but cryptographic package signing remains future work.