Evidence used
- CISA confirms exploitation in the wild.
- The selected CVSS metric records a network-reachable, unauthenticated path with no user interaction.
- EPSS is 26.51% for the current model date.
BlackTreeCVE IntelligenceFull vulnerability report · 2025
CVE-2025-14733High confidence
WatchGuard Firebox Out of Bounds Write Vulnerability
WatchGuard · Firebox
9.3CriticalCVSS 4.0
Patch now
Patch availableCISA confirms exploitation in the wild and lists 2025-12-26 as the remediation due date.
R
Open reassessment dashboard →Operational reassessment
Published severity in operational context
Published severityCritical→Operational priority:Critical, unchanged from published severity.unchanged
Compensating controls
- Validate the affected product branch and deploy the verified fixed release.
- Restrict the affected network interface to trusted sources where business-safe.
- Increase monitoring for the attack path and post-exploitation behaviour described in the report.
Verification
- Confirm that the asset runs WatchGuard Firebox and falls inside the recorded affected range.
- Verify the installed build against the product-specific fixed version after deployment.
- Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
- Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
CISA confirms exploitation in the wild and lists 2025-12-26 as the remediation due date.
Patch available01
What, why and how
WatchGuard Fireware OS iked process contains an out of bounds write vulnerability in the OS iked process. This vulnerability may allow a remote unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code and affects both the mobile user VPN with IKEv2 and the branch office VPN using IKEv2 when configured with a dynamic gateway peer.
What
WatchGuard Fireware OS iked process contains an out of bounds write vulnerability in the OS iked process. This vulnerability may allow a remote unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code and affects both the mobile user VPN with IKEv2 and the branch office VPN using IKEv2 when configured with a dynamic gateway peer.
Why
A bounds error lets data be written beyond the intended memory region, potentially corrupting control data.
How
An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may execute code or commands in the affected security context.
What
WatchGuard Fireware OS iked process contains an out of bounds write vulnerability in the OS iked process. This vulnerability may allow a remote unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code and affects both the mobile user VPN with IKEv2 and the branch office VPN using IKEv2 when configured with a dynamic gateway peer.
Why
A bounds error lets data be written beyond the intended memory region, potentially corrupting control data.
How
An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may execute code or commands in the affected security context.
02
Exploit reality and attack path
CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.
Observed exploitation Confirmed in the wild
?
Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.CISA added this CVE to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 2025-12-19. Known ransomware campaign use is recorded.
Public PoC / exploit material None recorded
?
Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.
- Likely attack path
- a network path → Out-of-bounds Write → execute code or commands in the affected security context
- Attack surface
- Network
- Privileges required
- None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
- Security boundary
- Not a CVSS 4.0 base metric
- Weakness
?
CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness. - CWE-787 ↗
CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write. The product writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.
- CVSS vector
?
CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity. CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/U:RedCommon Vulnerability Scoring System 4.0: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.
AVNetworkAttack vector: The vulnerable component can be reached over a network.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.ATNoneAttack requirements: No additional deployment or execution condition is required.PRNonePrivileges required: The attacker does not need an account or existing privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.VCHighVulnerable-system confidentiality: A successful attack can cause a major loss.VIHighVulnerable-system integrity: A successful attack can cause a major loss.VAHighVulnerable-system availability: A successful attack can cause a major loss.SCNoneSubsequent-system confidentiality: No direct loss is represented by this metric.SINoneSubsequent-system integrity: No direct loss is represented by this metric.SANoneSubsequent-system availability: No direct loss is represented by this metric.- Post-exploitation / living off the land
- After compromise, an attacker may use built-in shells, scripting engines, scheduled tasks and native network utilities for discovery, persistence or movement. This is a plausible LoTL path, not evidence that it has occurred for every attack.
03
Patch and workaround
Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.
- Status
?
Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change. - Patch available
- Action
- Review the linked authoritative reference and apply the recorded fixed release appropriate to the affected product branch.
- Workaround
- No verified workaround is recorded. If business-safe, reduce exposure to the affected interface and allow only trusted sources until authoritative guidance is available.
04
Evidence and provenance
Published 19 Dec 2025 · Last source change 9 Sept 2026, 04:18 UTC · CWE-787 · Out-of-bounds Write
CVE recordCVE.org · 5.2
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
?
The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2025-204437
Product sourceCISA KEV
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceCNA
NVD statusNVD enriched
Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.
Material change intelligence
View recent updates ↗What changed after publication
- BlackTree coverageBlackTree article coverage changed from no BlackTree article to 1 BlackTree article.BlackTree editorial ↗
- Before
- no BlackTree article
- After
- 1 BlackTree article
- Vendor guidanceAuthoritative vendor guidance changed: added remediation: psirt.watchguard.com/CVE-2025-14733.psirt.watchguard.com ↗
- Before
- vendor advisory: watchguard.com/wgsa-2025-00027
- After
- remediation: psirt.watchguard.com/CVE-2025-14733 · vendor advisory: watchguard.com/wgsa-2025-00027
- Affected versionsThe structured affected or fixed version information changed.CNA ↗
- Before
- 2025.1 < 2025.1.4; 12.0 < 12.11.6; 11.10.2 ≤ 11.12.4+541730; 12.0 < 12.3.1+728352; 12.0 < 12.5.15 · Fixed: No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
- After
- Fireware OS: 2025.1 < 2025.1.4, 12.0 < 12.11.6, 11.10.2 ≤ 11.12.4+541730, 12.0 < 12.3.1+728352, 12.0 < 12.5.15 · Fixed: Fireware OS 2025.1.4, Fireware OS 12.11.6, Fireware OS 12.5.15, Fireware OS 12.3.1-b728352 In addition to installing the latest Fireware OS that contains the fix, administrators that have confirmed threat actor activity on their Firebox appliances must take precautions to rotate all locally stored secrets on vulnerable Firebox appliances as described in our Best Practices to Rotate Shared Secrets Stored on the Firebox knowledge base article (https://techsearch.watchguard.com/KB?type=Article&SFDCID=kA1Vr000000DNMzKAO&lang=en_US).
- Remediation statusRemediation status changed from Awaiting fix to Patch available.psirt.watchguard.com ↗
- Before
- Awaiting fix
- After
- Patch available
- CISA KEV stateCISA KEV now confirms exploitation in the wild.CISA KEV ↗
- Before
- listed in CISA KEV since 2025-12-19
- After
- listed in CISA KEV since 2025-12-19
CVE published
Added to CISA KEV
Fixed release or patch reference recorded
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
- CVE
- Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
- CVSS
- Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
- EPSS
- Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
- CWE
- Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
- CNA
- CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
- CISA ADP
- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
- NVD
- National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
- CERT / CSIRT
- A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
- PoC
- Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
- CSAF
- Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
- LoTL
- Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.