Fortinet Firewalls Targeted in Massive Zero Day Exploitation Campaign

Arctic Wolf Labs has uncovered a sophisticated cyber campaign targeting Fortinet FortiGate firewall devices, revealing a potentially significant zero-day vulnerability that threatens organizations across multiple sectors. The investigation exposes a complex attack strategy involving unauthorized administrative access and extensive network infiltration.

The campaign began in mid-November 2024, with threat actors systematically targeting firewalls with publicly exposed management interfaces. Researchers observed an alarming pattern of suspicious login activities across various organizations, with some experiencing hundreds to thousands of malicious login events on their Fortinet devices.

Key elements of the attack included unauthorized administrative logins through the web-based command-line interface, with attackers using unusual source IP addresses that appeared to be spoofed. These included loopback addresses and public DNS resolver addresses, indicating a sophisticated attempt to mask the true origin of the intrusions.

The attackers followed a methodical approach, initially performing reconnaissance by making minor configuration changes to verify successful access. By early December, they escalated their activities, focusing on gaining SSL VPN access to the compromised devices. Multiple techniques were employed, including creating new super admin accounts, hijacking existing accounts, and establishing new SSL VPN portals.

Firmware versions between 7.0.14 and 7.0.16 were identified as vulnerable, spanning devices released in February and October 2024. The campaign's opportunistic nature suggests a widespread targeting approach rather than a carefully selected set of victims.

Arctic Wolf Labs noted that the ultimate objectives of the attackers remain unclear. However, the credential harvesting techniques observed, including using DCSync to extract domain admin credentials, indicate potential preparation for more extensive network compromise.

The research team emphasized the critical importance of immediately disabling public access to firewall management interfaces. Organizations are advised to conduct thorough security audits of their Fortinet devices and implement stringent access controls.

Fortinet was notified about the campaign on December 12, 2024, with the vendor's security team acknowledging the investigation. As of the report's publication, no specific vulnerability had been officially confirmed or patched.

The campaign underscores the ongoing risks posed by exposed management interfaces and the need for continuous security monitoring. Cybersecurity professionals are urged to remain vigilant and implement robust defensive strategies to protect against such sophisticated intrusion attempts.

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