# CVE-2026-12974: Security Policy Bypass in Forcepoint Security Engine (NGFW)

> Attackers can bypass security policies in Forcepoint Security Engine (NGFW), potentially evading network protections.

- **Severity:** High 7.9 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:A`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 23 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 23 Sep 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-6gj2-8x4x-4xwr

## What is CVE-2026-12974?

CVE-2026-12974 is a high-severity vulnerability in Forcepoint Security Engine (NGFW), published on 23 Sep 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A Security Policy Bypass vulnerability exists in Forcepoint Security Engine (NGFW).

This issue affects Forcepoint Security Engine (NGFW): from 7.1.0 through 7.1.13, from 7.3.0 through 7.3.1, 7.3.3, from 7.4.0 through 7.4.1, and 7.5.0.

Weakness: CWE-183 (Permissive List of Allowed Inputs), CWE-1284 (Improper Validation of Specified Quantity in Input)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-12974?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-12974?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-12974 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-12974 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-12974 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-12974 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-12974 is a high-severity vulnerability in Forcepoint Security Engine (NGFW), published on 23 Sep 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-12974 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Forcepoint Security Engine (NGFW). No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-12974/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-12974/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-12974
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-12974
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-12974

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-12974/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.