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CVE-2025-68686

From Exploited flaws, HARD’s guide to the flaws being used in attacks · Checked
This article is about a flaw in Fortinet FortiOS. For every flaw being used in attacks, see Exploited flaws; for Fortinet’s, see Fortinet flaws being used in attacks.

CVE-2025-68686 is a security flaw in Fortinet FortiOS, the operating system on Fortinet’s FortiGate firewalls. Attackers can read information from Fortinet FortiOS that should be private from anywhere, without logging in. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 27 Jul 2026.[1]

Fortinet FortiOS is business software or equipment. Most families won’t have it, but attackers break into it to get inside companies, and from there to what those companies hold about their customers, patients and staff. Fortinet has published a fix or advice.

Description

CISA calls it an exposure of sensitive information to an unauthorized actor in Fortinet FortiOS. In its words: “Fortinet FortiOS contains an exposure of sensitive information to an unauthorized actor vulnerability. This may allow a remote unauthenticated attacker to bypass the patch developed for the symbolic link persistency mechanism observed in some post-exploit cases, via crafted HTTP requests. An attacker would need first to have compromised the product via another vulnerability, at filesystem level.”[1]

The CVE record adds: “An Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor vulnerability [CWE-200] vulnerability in Fortinet FortiOS 7.6.0 through 7.6.1, FortiOS 7.4.0 through 7.4.6, FortiOS 7.2 all versions, FortiOS 7.0 all versions, FortiOS 6.4 all versions may allow a remote unauthenticated attacker to bypass the patch developed for the symbolic link persistency mechanism observed in some post-exploit cases, via crafted HTTP requests. An attacker would need first to have compromised the product via another vulnerability, at filesystem level.”[2]

The underlying weakness is information exposure (CWE-200), in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.

It scores 5.9 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it medium, scored by the organisation that published the CVE using CVSS 3.1.[2]

Affected versions

NVD’s record doesn’t list version ranges for it; Fortinet’s advisory has them[3]. CISA names the product as Fortinet FortiOS.

Most families won’t have Fortinet FortiOS; it’s for whoever looks after IT at work.

Exploitation

CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 27 Jul 2026, 167 days after it was made public. CISA lists a flaw only when it has reliable evidence of it being exploited, and gave US federal agencies until 10 Aug 2026 to fix it.[1]

FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System, which estimates how likely a flaw is to be used in attacks in the next 30 days from what it sees across the internet, puts it at 29%. That’s in the top 2% of the flaws it scores.[4]

CISA assesses it as not automatable: each attack takes some work.

CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.

Fix

Fortinet has published a fix or advice.[3] CISA’s required action: “Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes).”[1]

  1. Check whether you use it.Fortinet FortiOS is business software or equipment, so most families won’t have it. If you run a business, or work from home on company equipment, ask whoever looks after your IT.
  2. Send this page to your IT person.Ask them to confirm it’s fixed, or not in use. CISA gave US government agencies until 10 Aug 2026 to fix it.
  3. If it can’t be fixed, take it offline.CISA’s advice when there’s no fix is to stop using the product, or take it off the internet, until there is one.

You can’t fix someone else’s server, but you can watch for what follows a break-in like this: a breach notice, a password reset you didn’t ask for, or a scam message that knows things it shouldn’t. HARD watches for those for you and your family.

Timeline

DateEvent
The flaw is made public in the National Vulnerability Database, with a severity score of 5.9.[2]
CISA adds it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks.[1]
CISA’s deadline for US government agencies to fix it.[1]
FIRST puts the odds of it being used in attacks in the next 30 days at 29%.[4]

See also

Other Fortinet FortiOS flaws

Other Fortinet flaws

Other information exposure flaws

  • CVE-2026-20133, Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager: exposure of sensitive information to an unauthorized actor ·
  • CVE-2025-31125, Vitejs: improper access control ·
  • CVE-2026-20805, Microsoft Windows: information disclosure ·
  • CVE-2021-41277, Metabase: geoJSON API local file inclusion ·
  • CVE-2024-24919, Check Point Quantum Security Gateways: information disclosure ·

Added the same day

  • CVE-2026-16812, Arista VeloCloud Orchestrator: on-prem OS command injection ·

Every Fortinet flaw on CISA’s list · Everything added in July 2026

References

  1. ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “Fortinet FortiOS Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 27 Jul 2026.
  2. ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2025-68686 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 10 Feb 2026.
  3. ^ Fortinet. Advisories and fixes: fortiguard.fortinet.com.
  4. ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.295, percentile 98.2, 31 Oct 2026.
  5. CVE Program. “CVE-2025-68686”. The official CVE record.

This article is built from CISA’s catalog (version 2026.10.30), NVD’s record and FIRST’s scores, kept in HARD’s database and checked every morning. The plain English is HARD’s.