Fortinet Breach Incident Score: Analysis & Impact (FOR1532815111725)

In this Rankiteo incident briefing, we review the Fortinet breach identified under incident ID FOR1532815111725.

The analysis begins with a detailed overview of Fortinet's information like the linkedin page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fortinet, the number of followers: 1167752, the industry type: Computer and Network Security and the number of employees: 15505 employees

After the initial compromise, the video explains how Rankiteo's incident engine converts technical details into a normalized incident score. The incident score before the incident was 638 and after the incident was 635 with a difference of -3 which is could be a good indicator of the severity and impact of the incident.

In the next step of the video, we will analyze in more details the incident and the impact it had on Fortinet and their customers.

On 01 October 2024, Fortinet disclosed Unauthorized Access, Path Traversal Vulnerability and Privilege Escalation issues under the banner "Global Exploitation of Path Traversal Vulnerability in Fortinet FortiWeb Web Application Firewall".

A recently uncovered path traversal vulnerability in Fortinet’s FortiWeb web application firewall (CVE not yet assigned) is being exploited globally.

The disruption is felt across the environment, affecting FortiWeb appliances (unpatched versions).

In response, teams activated the incident response plan, moved swiftly to contain the threat with measures like Update to FortiWeb 8.0.2, Review administrative user lists for unexpected accounts and Inspect logs for requests to `fwbcgi` path, and began remediation that includes Apply firmware patch (8.0.2) and Remove unauthorized admin accounts, and stakeholders are being briefed through Security advisories from researchers (PwnDefend, watchTowr Labs) and Media reports urging immediate action.

The case underscores how Ongoing (active exploitation confirmed; patch available), teams are taking away lessons such as Critical importance of timely patching for publicly exposed devices, Need for continuous monitoring of administrative account changes and Risks of automated mass exploitation for unpatched vulnerabilities, and recommending next steps like Immediately patch FortiWeb to version 8.0.2 or later, Audit all administrative accounts for unauthorized entries and Restrict management interface access to trusted networks/VPNs, with advisories going out to stakeholders covering Urgent patching and system review recommended for all FortiWeb users.

Finally, we try to match the incident with the MITRE ATT&CK framework to see if there is any correlation between the incident and the MITRE ATT&CK framework.

The MITRE ATT&CK framework is a knowledge base of techniques and sub-techniques that are used to describe the tactics and procedures of cyber adversaries. It is a powerful tool for understanding the threat landscape and for developing effective defense strategies.

Rankiteo's analysis has identified several MITRE ATT&CK tactics and techniques associated with this incident, each with varying levels of confidence based on available evidence. Under the Initial Access tactic, the analysis identified Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190) with high confidence (100%), with evidence including exploit Public-Facing Application attack vector via path traversal in `/api/v2.0/cmdb/system/admin%3f/../../../../../cgi-bin/fwbcgi`, and unauthenticated attackers to create administrative accounts on unpatched devices and Valid Accounts: Local Accounts (T1078.003) with high confidence (95%), with evidence including creating new administrative accounts with usernames like Testpoint, trader1, and preconfigured credentials (e.g., passwords like *3eMIXX43*, *AFT3$tH4ck*). Under the Privilege Escalation tactic, the analysis identified Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068) with high confidence (95%), with evidence including bypass authentication via crafted HTTP POST request to gain admin-level accounts, and path traversal vulnerability... allowing unauthenticated admin account creation. Under the Persistence tactic, the analysis identified Account Manipulation: Additional Cloud Credentials (T1098.003) with high confidence (90%), with evidence including creating new administrative accounts for persistent admin access, and usernames like *Testpoint*, *trader1* with static passwords. Under the Defense Evasion tactic, the analysis identified Valid Accounts: Default Accounts (T1078.001) with moderate to high confidence (85%), with evidence including preconfigured credentials (e.g., *3eMIXX43*, *AFT3$tH4ck*) mimicking default/weak patterns, and automated mass scans to blend with legitimate traffic and Impair Defenses: Disable or Modify Tools (T1562.001) with moderate to high confidence (80%), with evidence including foothold for deeper network infiltration via compromised FortiWeb (WAF bypass), and risk of lateral movement into corporate environments. Under the Lateral Movement tactic, the analysis identified Remote Services: Remote Desktop Protocol (T1021.001) with moderate to high confidence (75%), with evidence including risk of lateral movement into corporate environments from FortiWeb appliance, and management interfaces as high-value targets for pivoting. Under the Impact tactic, the analysis identified Endpoint Denial of Service: Application Exhaustion Flood (T1499.004) with moderate to high confidence (70%), with evidence including automated mass scans could overwhelm unpatched devices, and potential reputational damage from operational disruption. These correlations help security teams understand the attack chain and develop appropriate defensive measures based on the observed tactics and techniques.