Security News > 2021 > April > NSA: Russian Hackers Exploiting VPN Vulnerabilities - Patch Immediately

The U.S. government on Thursday warned that Russian APT operators are exploiting five known - and already patched - vulnerabilities in corporate VPN infrastructure products, insisting it is "Critically important" to mitigate these issues immediately.
According to the NSA, the five vulnerabilities should be prioritized for patching alongside the newest batch of Exchange Server updates released by Microsoft earlier this week.
"Mitigation against these vulnerabilities is critically important as U.S. and allied networks are constantly scanned, targeted, and exploited by Russian state-sponsored cyber actors," the NSA said.
The NSA's decision to pinpoint the five old security flaws suggests that many organizations are slow to apply the available fixes, especially during the pandemic when work-from-home expanded the need for VPN technologies.
"In addition to compromising the SolarWinds Orion software supply chain, recent SVR activities include targeting COVID-19 research facilities via WellMess malware and targeting networks through the VMware vulnerability disclosed by NSA," the agency said.
"[We] strongly encourage all cybersecurity stakeholders to check their networks for indicators of compromise related to all five vulnerabilities and the techniques detailed in the advisory and to urgently implement associated mitigations," it added.
News URL
Related news
- SonicWall firewall exploit lets hackers hijack VPN sessions, patch now (source)
- Russian military hackers deploy malicious Windows activators in Ukraine (source)
- Microsoft: Russian-Linked Hackers Using 'Device Code Phishing' to Hijack Accounts (source)
- SonicWall firewalls now under attack: Patch ASAP or risk intrusion via your SSL VPN (source)
- SilentCryptoMiner Infects 2,000 Russian Users via Fake VPN and DPI Bypass Tools (source)
- Ex-NSA boss: Election security focus helped dissuade increase in Russian meddling with US (source)
- Zero-Day Alert: Google Releases Chrome Patch for Exploit Used in Russian Espionage Attacks (source)
- Russian Hackers Exploit CVE-2025-26633 via MSC EvilTwin to Deploy SilentPrism and DarkWisp (source)
- Still Using an Older Version of iOS or iPadOS? Update Now to Patch These Critical Security Vulnerabilities (source)