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In the world of cyber security, we often find ourselves on the edge of a constant challenge between the development of new security technologies and the tireless work of attackers to overcome them. A recent example of this never-ending challenge is the discovery of vulnerability CVE-2024-21762 in Fortinet appliances. This vulnerability opened a door for potential attacks that threaten the integrity of corporate networks worldwide.
The number of publicly available Fortinet devices vulnerable to a critical vulnerability in FortiOS that has been known for a month remains extremely high, despite a gradual increase in patching efforts.
However, this increase is very small.
According to data from security organization Shadowserver, the number of vulnerable Fortinet devices for this CVE stands at more than 133,000 - down only slightly from over 150,000 ten days ago.
Fortigate published this vulnerability in early February and provided a patch for the systems. With a severity level of 9.6 out of 10.0, which enables Remote Code Execution (RCE).
Fortigate has had several vulnerabilities in the last few months that have been actively exploited by attackers - this is not yet known at the current status of this vulnerability. But what is not can (and will) become - since proof of concepts are already available.
What do we learn from this circumstance?
The situation surrounding CVE-2024-21762 underscores an important fact in cyber security: vulnerability management is an essential necessity and not a luxury.
It is a critical, ongoing process that aims to minimize potential risks before they can be exploited. An effective vulnerability management program follows a clear cycle: identify, assess, prioritize and remediate security vulnerabilities.
But why do so many hesitate to take action, even when the risks are known? Is it due to a lack of awareness, resources or simply an underestimation of the threat?
This should be a wake-up call for all security teams, especially management. The cyber security landscape is dynamic and requires constant vigilance and readiness to respond to new threats. Vulnerabilities like CVE-2024-21762 are not only tests of the resilience of corporate networks and their data, but also of the resources to take proactive steps to secure digital borders.
In many companies, the problem is not due to a lack of awareness or underestimation of a threat - but rather due to the limited resources to identify the vulnerabilities, validate them, eliminate them and ultimately validate that the vulnerability no longer exists.
Not all vulnerabilities can be remedied with a âsimpleâ software update - some require extensive configuration or architectural adjustments.
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