Fox Kitten APT campaign exploits VPN flaws hours after they're disclosed

Fox Kitten APT campaign exploits VPN flaws hours after they're disclosed

Iranian APT actors have engaged in a long-running cyber espionage and data theft campaign that has victimized dozens of companies around the world, typically compromising them via virtual private network and Remote Desktop Protocol services, according to a new research report.


Vulnerable VPNs have been such a favorite attack vector of choice among these actors that they have become adept at exploiting VPN flaws within mere hours to weeks after they have been publicly disclosed, says the report, from ClearSky. This is too quick for most organizations to respond with patches.


The three-year-old campaign, dubbed Fox Kitten, has targeted companies and organizations operating in the IT, telecommunication, oil and gas, aviation, government, and security sectors, the report notes. IT service providers have been a particularly alluring target for the actors because through them they can get to thousands more potential victims.


VPNs exploited by the adversaries include Pulse Secure Connect, Global Protect by Palo Alto Networks, and Fortinet FortiOS, although ClearSky believes Citrix could eventually emerge as a candidate for exploit as well. In late 2019 and ..

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