Malicious node Reverse Shell Spawned on FortiGate via Inline Code

ATT&CK techniques

Initial Access → Execution

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
- T1190Exploit Public-Facing Application
Execution
- T1059.007JavaScript
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule detects the node binary being executed with the -e flag to run inline JavaScript, matching the reverse shell payload delivered through the FortiGate CVE-2024-21762 exploitation described by Assetnote. Attackers use node -e to establish an outbound interactive shell from the appliance after triggering the memory corruption. Inline node execution on a network security appliance is highly abnormal and indicates post-exploitation activity.

Reporting behind it

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Malicious node Reverse Shell Spawned on FortiGate via Inline Code

Pivot detection · T1190 · 9 related

Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.

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