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Scrape Timestamp (UTC): 2025-08-05 12:42:30.142
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SonicWall urges admins to disable SSLVPN amid rising attacks. SonicWall has warned customers to disable SSLVPN services due to ransomware gangs potentially exploiting an unknown security vulnerability in SonicWall Gen 7 firewalls to breach networks over the past few weeks. The warning comes after Arctic Wolf Labs reported on Friday that it had observed multiple Akira ransomware attacks, likely using a SonicWall zero-day vulnerability, since July 15th. "The initial access methods have not yet been confirmed in this campaign," the Arctic Wolf Labs researchers said. "While the existence of a zero-day vulnerability is highly plausible, credential access through brute force, dictionary attacks, and credential stuffing have not yet been definitively ruled out in all cases." Arctic Wolf also advised SonicWall administrators on Friday to temporarily disable SonicWall SSL VPN services due to the strong possibility that a SonicWall zero-day vulnerability was being exploited in these attacks. Cybersecurity company Huntress has also confirmed Arctic Wolf's findings on Monday and published a report providing indicators of compromise (IOCs) collected while investigating this campaign. "A likely zero-day vulnerability in SonicWall VPNs is being actively exploited to bypass MFA and deploy ransomware," Huntress warned. "Huntress advises disabling the VPN service immediately or severely restricting access via IP allow-listing. We're seeing threat actors pivot directly to domain controllers within hours of the initial breach." The same day, SonicWall confirmed it is aware of this campaign and published an advisory urging customers to secure their firewalls against ongoing attacks by: "Over the past 72 hours, there has been a notable increase in both internally and externally reported cyber incidents involving Gen 7 SonicWall firewalls where SSLVPN is enabled," the company said. "We are actively investigating these incidents to determine whether they are connected to a previously disclosed vulnerability or if a new vulnerability may be responsible. Please remain vigilant and apply the above mitigations immediately to reduce exposure while we continue our investigation." Two weeks ago, SonicWall also warned admins to patch their SMA 100 appliances against a critical security vulnerability (CVE-2025-40599) that may be exploited to gain remote code execution on unpatched devices. Although attackers would require admin privileges to exploit CVE-2025-40599, and there is currently no evidence of active exploitation of this vulnerability, the company still urged customers to secure their SMA 100 appliances, as these devices are already being targeted in attacks that use compromised credentials to deploy the new OVERSTEP rootkit malware. Red Report 2025: Analyzing the Top ATT&CK Techniques Used by 93% of Malware Malware targeting password stores surged 3X as attackers executed stealthy Perfect Heist scenarios, infiltrating and exploiting critical systems. Discover the top 10 MITRE ATT&CK techniques behind 93% of attacks and how to defend against them.
Daily Brief Summary
SonicWall has issued a warning to administrators to disable SSLVPN services on Gen 7 firewalls due to potential exploitation by ransomware gangs, leveraging a possible zero-day vulnerability.
Arctic Wolf Labs observed multiple Akira ransomware attacks since July 15, suggesting the use of a SonicWall zero-day vulnerability for initial network breach.
The modes of initial access, including brute force and credential stuffing, have not been conclusively determined in these incidents.
Cybersecurity firm Huntress affirmed Arctic Wolf's findings and issued a report with indicators of compromise, advising immediate disabling of the VPN service or severe access restrictions.
Threat actors exploiting this vulnerability are reportedly pivoting to domain controllers within hours of gaining initial access, compounding the risk of broader network compromise.
SonicWall is actively investigating these incidents to ascertain if they are linked to a previously known vulnerability or if a new one has surfaced, urging customers to apply recommended mitigations urgently.
In the face of these threats, SonicWall has also highlighted a critical vulnerability, CVE-2025-40599, in SMA 100 appliances, recommending urgent patching to prevent potential remote code execution attacks.