CVE-2025-68686
Fortinet FortiOS Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor Vulnerability
Fortinet FortiOS
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.
Exploitation status
CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
Listed by CISA on 27 July 2026. US federal agencies were required to remediate it by 10 August 2026.
EPSS — exploitation probability
FIRST puts the probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days at 1.3%, which is higher than 66.9% of all scored vulnerabilities. EPSS is a forecast of activity, not a measure of severity, and it is rescored daily.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Frequently asked questions
Is CVE-2025-68686 being exploited by ransomware groups?
No ransomware group in this database is currently recorded as exploiting CVE-2025-68686.
What does CVE-2025-68686 affect?
CVE-2025-68686 affects Fortinet FortiOS. 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.
How severe is CVE-2025-68686?
CVE-2025-68686 is rated MEDIUM with a CVSS base score of 5.9. EPSS puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 1.3%, higher than 66.9% of all scored vulnerabilities. It is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, with a federal remediation deadline of 10 August 2026.
How should organisations respond to CVE-2025-68686?
Apply the vendor patch for Fortinet FortiOS as the first priority, and treat any internet-facing instance as the most urgent. Because this vulnerability is associated with ransomware activity, also review whether the affected systems were reachable before patching, rather than assuming that patching alone closes the incident.