CVE-2025-62676
Fortinet Forticlient 7.0.0 – 7.2.13
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2025-62676 is a high-severity Link Following (CWE-59) vulnerability in Fortinet Forticlient. Its CVSS base score is 7.1 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Path Interception (T1034); ranked at the 12th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and AC-6 (Least Privilege) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2025-62676 is an Improper Link Resolution Before File Access vulnerability, classified under CWE-59, affecting Fortinet FortiClient for Windows in versions 7.4.0 through 7.4.4, 7.2.0 through 7.2.12, and all versions of 7.0. The issue stems from improper handling that may allow exploitation through crafted named pipe messages, resulting in a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.1 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H).
A local attacker with low privileges can exploit this vulnerability to perform an arbitrary file write operation with elevated permissions. This requires local access to the system but no user interaction, enabling the attacker to overwrite critical files and potentially escalate privileges or disrupt system integrity and availability.
Mitigation details are available in the Fortinet product security incident response team advisory at https://fortiguard.fortinet.com/psirt/FG-IR-25-661, published on 2026-02-10. Security practitioners should consult this reference for patching instructions and workarounds specific to the affected FortiClient versions.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2025-206993
Vulnerability Data
An Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') vulnerability [CWE-59] vulnerability in Fortinet FortiClientWindows 7.4.0 through 7.4.4, FortiClientWindows 7.2.0 through 7.2.12, FortiClientWindows 7.0 all versions may allow a local low-privilege attacker to perform an arbitrary file write with elevated…
more
permissions via crafted named pipe messages.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
—
—
—
V15.4.2
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Proper enforcement of access authorizations on the resolved target resource stops a link from reaching an unintended object.
Least-privilege limits the damage an attacker can cause after following an unintended link.
Validating file-name inputs can reject or canonicalize names that resolve to links before access occurs.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure SDLC practices directly require code to validate paths and avoid unsafe link following.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing can detect link-following flaws before release.
Secure SDLC practices can mandate link-resolution checks and canonicalization before file access.
Application security requirements can explicitly require safe handling of symbolic links and path traversal.
Secure architecture principles include input validation and safe file-access design patterns.
Secure coding standards directly address canonicalization and symlink attacks during implementation.
Access-control rules can limit which files are reachable, reducing exposure to malicious links.