Full Report
Forcepoint security advisory (AV26-960)
Analysis Summary
# Vulnerability: Security Policy Bypass in Forcepoint Security Engine (NGFW)
## CVE Details
- **CVE ID:** CVE-2026-12974
- **CVSS Score:** Not explicitly provided in the bulletin (Estimated High based on "Security Policy Bypass" impact)
- **CWE:** CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) / CWE-693 (Protection Mechanism Failure)
## Affected Systems
- **Products:** Forcepoint Security Engine (Next-Generation Firewall - NGFW)
- **Versions:**
- 7.1.0 to 7.1.13
- 7.3.0 to 7.3.1
- 7.33 (Specific build)
- 7.4.0 to 7.4.1
- 7.5.0
- **Configurations:** Systems utilizing the Security Engine for traffic filtering and policy enforcement.
## Vulnerability Description
A vulnerability exists in the Forcepoint Security Engine (NGFW) that could allow for a security policy bypass. While technical specifics regarding the protocol or packet handling mechanism are not detailed in the summary, this class of flaw typically occurs when specially crafted traffic evades inspection rules, potentially allowing unauthorized network access or the transmission of malicious payloads that should have been blocked by the firewall's policy engine.
## Exploitation
- **Status:** Not reported as exploited in the wild; no Public PoC currently identified in the advisory.
- **Complexity:** Medium (Likely requires specific knowledge of the engine's parsing logic).
- **Attack Vector:** Network (Remote).
## Impact
- **Confidentiality:** High (Bypassing security policies can lead to unauthorized data access).
- **Integrity:** High (Potential to bypass filters meant to block malicious uploads/modifications).
- **Availability:** Low (Primary impact is policy subversion rather than service disruption).
## Remediation
### Patches
Forcepoint recommends upgrading to the following versions or later:
- Users on **7.1.x** should update to **7.1.14** or later.
- Users on **7.3.x** should update to **7.3.2** or later.
- Users on **7.4.x** should update to **7.4.2** or later.
- Users on **7.5.x** should update to **7.5.1** or later.
*(Note: Specific patch versions should be verified via the Forcepoint Hub link below).*
### Workarounds
- No specific configuration-based workarounds have been provided. Immediate patching is the recommended course of action.
## Detection
- Monitor firewall logs for unusual traffic patterns that deviate from established security policies.
- Audit policy hit counts to identify unexpected allowed traffic that matches bypass signatures (once signatures are released by the vendor).
## References
- Forcepoint Hub Advisory: hxxps://support[.]forcepoint[.]com/s/article/Security-Advisory-Security-Policy-Bypass-in-Forcepoint-Security-Engine-NGFW-CVE-2026-12974
- Forcepoint Knowledge Base: hxxps://support[.]forcepoint[.]com/s/knowledge-base#q=security%20advisory
- Canadian Centre for Cyber Security: hxxps://www[.]cyber[.]gc[.]ca/en/alerts-advisories/forcepoint-security-advisory-av26-960