CISA Yells ‘Patch Now!’ as Ivanti Exploits Rage On
Alright, folks, buckle up. The Ivanti Connect Secure VPN saga just keeps getting worse, with CISA issuing an emergency directive for federal agencies to disconnect or patch their systems. This isn’t some theoretical threat; organizations globally are facing active exploitation of multiple critical vulnerabilities, and the bad guys aren’t letting up.[1]
We’re talking about a nasty chain of zero-day exploits here, initially including CVE-2023-46805 (an authentication bypass) and CVE-2024-21887 (a command injection vulnerability)[2]. But it didn’t stop there. Ivanti has since rolled out patches for CVE-2024-21888 (privilege escalation), CVE-2024-21893 (server-side request forgery), and most recently, CVE-2024-22024 (an XML external entity vulnerability)[3]. These flaws affect Ivanti Connect Secure and Policy Secure gateways, and they’ve been actively exploited by various threat actors, including state-sponsored groups, for months. The latest CISA directive emphasizes that even patched systems might still be compromised and require further investigation.[1]
So What? You Need To Hear This.
If you’re running Ivanti Connect Secure or Policy Secure, stop reading this and go check your systems. Seriously. Even if you applied the patches, the CISA directive is clear: a patch doesn’t magically remove an existing backdoor. Threat actors have been observed deploying web shells and other persistence mechanisms. You need to run Ivanti’s external integrity checker, review logs for suspicious activity, and consider a factory reset if compromise is suspected. This isn’t just about patching; it’s about post-compromise assessment and remediation. Ignoring this is like locking your front door after the burglars have already set up camp in your living room.
This whole debacle is a stark reminder that perimeter network devices, especially those directly exposed to the internet, are high-value targets. Don’t treat them as set-and-forget appliances. Stay vigilant, assume breach, and keep those incident response playbooks handy. Your network depends on it.
