News

Fortinet Doubles Down on Secure Development and Transparent Vulnerability Disclosure

Published

10 months ago

May 21, 2024

Fortinet has announced it is building on the company’s long-standing commitment to responsible radical transparency as an early signer of the Secure by Design pledge developed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). This voluntary industry pledge complements and builds on existing Fortinet software security best practices, including those developed by CISA, NIST, other federal agencies, and international and industry partners. The pledge outlines seven goals, including responsible vulnerability disclosure policies, which are already an integral part of Fortinet’s product security development.

Jim Richberg, Head of Cyber Policy and Global Field CISO at Fortinet, said, “At Fortinet, we have a long-standing commitment to being a role model in ethical and responsible product development and vulnerability disclosure. As part of this dedication, Fortinet has proactively aligned to international and industry best practices and upholds the highest security standards in every aspect of our business. We applaud CISA’s continued call to the industry to follow suit and appreciate CISA’s willingness to collaborate with Fortinet on the development of these important goals. We strongly encourage others in the technology community to join this effort to keep organizations secure.”

CISA’s latest initiative strongly aligns to Fortinet’s existing product development processes already based on Secure by Design and Secure by Default principles. Fortinet is committed to adhering to robust product security scrutiny at all stages of the product development lifecycle, helping to ensure that security is designed into each product from inception all the way through to the end of life, in the following ways:

Secure Product Development Lifecycle (SPDLC): Fortinet aligns its processes in accordance with leading standards, including NIST 800-53, NIST 800-161, NIST 800-218, US EO 14028, and UK Telecom Security Act.
Robust Security Product Testing: Fortinet leverages tools and techniques such as static application security testing (SAST) and software composition analysis built into its build processes, dynamic application security testing (DAST), vulnerability scanning, and fuzzing prior to each release, as well as penetration testing and manual code audits.
Trusted Supplier Program: To ensure rigorous selection and qualification of its major manufacturing partners, Fortinet adheres to NIST 800-161: Cybersecurity Supply Chain Risk Management Practices for Systems and Organizations. Fortinet’s commitment to data privacy and security is embedded in every part of the company’s business and in every phase of the product development, manufacturing, and delivery processes.
Information Security Program: The Fortinet Information Security Program is based on and aligned with industry-leading security standards and frameworks including ISO 27001/2, ISO 27017 and 27018, and NIST 800-53, as well as data privacy regulations such as GDPR and CCPA.
Third-Party Certifications: Fortinet products are regularly certified to standard and validated through third-party product quality standards, including NIST FIPS 140-2 and NIAP Common Criteria NDcPP / EAL4+.

Additionally, the Fortinet Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) is responsible for maintaining security standards for Fortinet products and operates one of the industry’s most robust PSIRT programs, including proactively and transparently disclosing vulnerabilities. Nearly 80% of Fortinet vulnerabilities discovered in 2023 were identified internally through the company’s rigorous auditing process. This proactive approach enables fixes to be developed and implemented before malicious exploitation can occur. Fortinet works with its customers, independent security researchers, consultants, industry organizations, and other vendors to accomplish the company’s PSIRT mission.

To further advance its dedication to a culture of responsible radical transparency, Fortinet has a long-standing commitment to public and private partnerships that align to its mission, including:

As a founding member of the Network Resilience Coalition, Fortinet is helping deliver real-world solutions to protect networks and sensitive data, including addressing the issue of software and hardware updates and patches not being implemented.
Through its membership with the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC), which was established by CISA in 2021, Fortinet works with public and private entities to gather, analyze, and share actionable information to more proactively protect and defend against cyberthreats.
As a founding member of the Cyber Threat Alliance (CTA), Fortinet shares timely threat intelligence with other cybersecurity practitioners to better protect customers against adversaries.
Working with global leaders as a founding member of the World Economic Forum’s Centre for Cybersecurity (C4C), Fortinet is helping to encourage intelligence sharing across the industry to reduce global cyberattacks and disrupt cybercrime.

Cyber Security

Positive Technologies Discovery Leads D-Link to Recommend Router Replacements

Published

15 hours ago

March 19, 2025

Priyan Sampath

Vladimir Razov, an expert from the PT SWARM team, has discovered a vulnerability in several models of D-Link routers. According to Mordor Intelligence, D-Link is one of the top three Wi-Fi router manufacturers in the world. The vendor has been notified of the threat in line with the responsible disclosure policy and recommends that users switch to more recent devices.

The vulnerability, which is registered as BDU:2024-06211 with a CVSS 3.0 score of 8.4, affects the following D-Link models: DIR-878, DIR-882, DIR-2640-US, DIR-1960-US, DIR-2660-US, DIR-3040-US, DIR-3060-US, DIR-867-US, DIR-882-US, DIR-882/RE, DIR-882-CA, and DIR-882-US/RE. At the time of the research, vulnerable routers could be discovered using search engines in the United States, Canada, Sweden, China, Indonesia, and Taiwan.

According to the manufacturer, these models are no longer supported. D-Link recommends retiring the outdated devices and replacing them with supported devices that receive firmware updates. “If this vulnerability is successfully exploited, a malicious user authorized in the router’s web interface can compromise the entire device and gain access to all traffic passing through it,” says Vladimir Razov, Web Application Security Analyst at PT SWARM, the offensive security department at Positive Technologies.

As a temporary measure to mitigate the threat, Vladimir Razov recommends using OpenWrt (an open-source embedded operating system based on the Linux kernel and designed specifically for routers) or changing the login credentials for accessing the router’s web interface. Previously, Positive Technologies helped address vulnerabilities in Zyxel routers and other Zyxel devices. Positive Technologies also enhanced its PT Industrial Security Incident Manager (PT ISIM) with an additional expertise pack, enabling cybersecurity teams to detect attempts to exploit vulnerabilities in MikroTik routers and Cisco switches.

Cyber Security

Sophos Study: MDR Users Claim 97.5% Less in Cyber Insurance

Published

2 days ago

March 18, 2025

Chris Fernando

Leading cybersecurity provider Sophos has released findings from a new study quantifying the financial impact of various cybersecurity controls on cyber insurance claims. The research compares the effect of endpoint solutions, EDR/XDR technologies, and MDR services on claim amounts, offering valuable insights for both insurers and organizations.

Sally Adam, Senior Director, Solution Marketing at Sophos, said, “Every year, organisations spend huge amounts of money on their cybersecurity. By quantifying the impact of controls on the outcome of cyberattacks, this study enables them to focus their investments on the most cost-effective options. At the same time, insurers have a major influence on cybersecurity spending through the controls they require of organisations wishing to be covered and the discounts they offer when a given scheme is in place. This study enables them to encourage investments that can make a real difference to incident outcomes and the resulting claim amounts.”

The Sophos study reveals a dramatic difference in cyber insurance claims: organizations using MDR services claim a median compensation of just $75,000, a staggering 97.5% less than the $3 million median claimed by organizations relying solely on endpoint solutions. This means that endpoint-only users typically claim 40 times more in the event of an attack. The study attributes this significant reduction to the rapid threat detection and blocking capabilities of MDR services, which can effectively prevent extensive damage.

The study also highlights a clear benefit to combining EDR or XDR with endpoint solutions, as the average insurance claim for users of these tools is just $500,000, which is one-sixth of the $3 million average claim for those using only endpoint solutions.

The Sophos study indicates that the predictability of cyber insurance claims varies significantly depending on the security controls in place. Claims from organizations utilizing MDR services show the highest predictability, suggesting consistent and reliable threat mitigation. This is likely due to the 24/7 expert monitoring, investigation, and response that allows for swift action against threats at any time. Conversely, claims from users of EDR/XDR tools are the least predictable, implying that their effectiveness in preventing major damage heavily depends on the user’s expertise and speed of response.

The Sophos study also reveals significant differences in recovery times from ransomware attacks. Endpoint solution users average a 40-day recovery, while EDR/XDR users take the longest at 55 days. In stark contrast, organizations using MDR services recover the fastest, with an average downtime of just three days. These findings underscore MDR’s effectiveness in minimizing the impact of cyberattacks and highlight the less predictable recovery experiences associated with EDR/XDR tools, whose success is dependent on user expertise.

Adam concludes, “The research confirms what many people instinctively know: the type of security solution used has a significant impact on cyber insurance claims. Cyberattacks are inevitable, but defences are not. These results are a useful tool for organisations wishing to optimise their cyber defence and their return on investment in cybersecurity. They will also be useful for insurers looking to reduce their exposure and offer suitable policies to their customers.”

Cyber Security

Fortinet Strengthens OT Security for Critical Infrastructure

Published

2 days ago

March 18, 2025

Chris Fernando

Fortinet has enhanced its OT Security Platform to better protect critical infrastructure from modern cyberthreats. The upgraded platform offers more than basic OT visibility with the new FortiGuard OT Security Service, expanded hardened solutions for network segmentation and 5G in demanding environments, and an improved OT SecOps portfolio for automated threat response and compliance management.

“Fortinet has been building an industry-leading OT Security Platform for 20-plus years and remains at the forefront of OT security innovation,” said Nirav Shah, Senior Vice President, Products and Solutions at Fortinet. “As cyberthreats against critical infrastructure and across industries such as energy, transportation, and manufacturing continue to grow, Fortinet remains committed to delivering comprehensive security solutions tailored for operational technology environments. These latest enhancements give organizations the tools they need to improve their OT security posture and adhere to regulatory requirements—all managed through a single, unified platform.”

The latest Fortinet OT Security Platform enhances OT security with:

Advanced Threat Protection: New FortiGate Rugged NGFWs combined with the enhanced FortiGuard OT Security Service offer superior security enforcement, detecting threats using over 3,300 OT protocol rules, nearly 750 OT IPS rules, and 1,500 virtual patching rules. This protects against known exploited vulnerabilities and provides virtual patching for older OT systems. Secure remote access is also improved with updates to FortiSRA, including enhanced secrets and password management.
Secure Segmentation: The new FortiSwitch Rugged 108F and FortiSwitch Rugged 112F-POE industrial-grade switches enable precise security control at the port level, preventing unauthorized lateral movement within OT networks. Built on Fortinet’s unified FortiOS, these switches simplify network and security management.
Resilient Connectivity: Two new ruggedized 5G solutions are introduced: the IP67-rated FortiExtender Rugged 511G for secure, high-speed connectivity to remote OT sites, and the IP64-rated FortiExtender Vehicle 511G for fleet vehicles. Both feature embedded Wi-Fi 6 and new eSIM capabilities for easier carrier selection.
Enhanced OT SecOps: Fortinet’s AI-driven security operations capabilities are strengthened with updates to FortiAnalyzer 7.6 and FortiDeceptor 6.1, offering deeper threat insights and simplified compliance reporting for OT security teams. FortiNDR Cloud now includes OT protocol support for threat hunting, while FortiNDR (on-premises) adds features like a Purdue Model view and a device inventory covering OT and the Mitre ATT&CK ICS Matrix.

The Fortinet OT Security Platform delivers a unified view and comprehensive security tools to simplify the management of OT and remote site security. It empowers organizations to easily assess, secure, and report on risks, including meeting complex regulatory compliance. Fortinet uniquely offers seamless segmentation and a complete ruggedized portfolio of OT security solutions all managed by a single operating system, FortiOS. Its deep integration within the Fortinet Security Fabric makes it a leading platform in the industry, providing an effective, efficient, and holistic approach to OT security and compliance that surpasses standard offerings.