In a revealing assessment of Ivanti’s cybersecurity posture, the company’s response to a series of critical vulnerabilities in its VPN appliances has come under fire, underscoring a pressing need for improved security measures and faster incident response across the tech industry. A detailed report by Dark Reading highlighted Ivanti’s struggles with cascading CVEs, cyberattacks, and delayed patching, which have left cybersecurity teams racing for solutions and critics questioning the company’s viability in the enterprise firewall market.
So far in 2024, Ivanti has disclosed five VPN flaws, most of which were exploited as zero-days, with two announced weeks before patches were available.
“I don’t see how Ivanti survives as an enterprise firewall brand,” cybersecurity researcher Jake Williams expressed, pointing to a history of neglect in secure coding and security testing as the root cause of Ivanti’s current predicament.
Despite the grim outlook from some quarters, others see a silver lining in Ivanti’s recent challenges.
“Ivanti is digging deep into its own products in order to find, fix, and disclose vulnerabilities, and deserves some credit for that,” said John Gallagher, vice president of Viakoo Labs.
The implications of Ivanti’s vulnerabilities extend beyond the company itself, affecting enterprise cybersecurity teams faced with tough decisions on how to proceed.
With the federal agencies advised by CISA to disconnect and patch Ivanti products before reconnection, and the discovery of additional vulnerabilities during patching efforts, the situation underscores the critical nature of prompt and effective incident response in maintaining digital security.
Ivanti Vulnerability Exploited to Deliver New ‘DSLog’ Backdoor https://t.co/JhOnRnOZ7E
— SecurityWeek (@SecurityWeek) February 13, 2024
Viakoo’s Gallagher gave Ivanti poor marks for its incident response, noting that the company’s recovery efforts must tackle both the technical challenges posed by the attacks and the resulting trust and reputational damage.
“On both fronts, they have stumbled badly,” Gallagher commented, highlighting the importance of a comprehensive approach to cybersecurity.
As Ivanti vows to conduct a full audit of its code and work diligently to resolve the issues, the episode serves as a cautionary tale for the tech industry at large. The reliance on reactive patching alone is insufficient in the face of sophisticated cyber threats.
Patrick Tiquet, vice president of security and architecture at Keeper Security, emphasized the necessity for vendors to prioritize the identification and resolution of vulnerabilities within their solutions, while also encouraging organizations to proactively test their own products and services.
In light of Ivanti’s ongoing efforts to regain trust and ensure the security of its products, the broader lesson remains clear: cybersecurity is a continuous battle that requires vigilance, swift action, and a commitment to robust security practices. As the digital landscape evolves, so too must the strategies employed to protect it, with organizations and vendors alike bearing the responsibility for safeguarding the integrity of their systems and the data they hold.
Integrating advanced security measures like the Best VPN can provide an additional layer of protection, encrypting data and anonymizing online activities to mitigate the risk of cyber intrusions.
As Ivanti works to address its current challenges, the incident highlights the ongoing need for the tech industry to prioritize cybersecurity and build resilient systems capable of withstanding the threats of tomorrow.