Last updated: September 29, 2026 at 8:42 AM UTC
All 891 Vulnerability 357 Breach 144 Threat 383 Defense 7
Tag: remote-access (6 articles)Clear

ConnectWise warns of an unpatched ScreenConnect flaw and urges interim mitigation

ConnectWise warned of a new vulnerability in ScreenConnect, its widely used remote-access platform, affecting both cloud and on-premises deployments, and issued temporary mitigations while it prepares a patch. The flaw involves file-transfer behavior in remote-access sessions and has not yet received a CVE identifier. As an interim measure, administrators are told to disable file-transfer permissions in the ScreenConnect console. ScreenConnect is a favorite tool of managed-service providers and IT teams, which also makes it a repeated target: three earlier ScreenConnect flaws are in the exploited-vulnerabilities catalog, two abused in ransomware, and nearly 6,000 instances are exposed online. There is a concurrent campaign spreading malware through rogue ScreenConnect clients.

Check
Apply ConnectWise's interim mitigation now by disabling file-transfer permissions in the ScreenConnect console, restrict access to the platform, and apply the official patch as soon as it ships this week.
Affected
Organizations and managed-service providers running ScreenConnect, cloud and on-premises; the unpatched file-transfer flaw could be abused for attacks, on a platform that grants powerful remote access and is frequently targeted by ransomware.
Fix
Disable file-transfer permissions until patched, limit and monitor who can reach the ScreenConnect console, watch for unauthorized clients and sessions, patch promptly on release, and treat this remote-access tooling as high-value infrastructure.

Global phishing campaign tricks victims into installing legitimate remote-control software

Researchers at ANY.RUN documented a phishing campaign spanning 46 countries, with about 45 percent of activity aimed at the United States, that tricks victims into installing legitimate remote monitoring and management software to give attackers persistent access. The lures pose as tax documents, invoices, shipping notices, and government messages, and the operation leans on disposable infrastructure hosted on trusted platforms like Vercel, GitHub Pages, and Netlify, with most hosts appearing for only a single day. Because the specific domains and remote-access tools are interchangeable while the delivery chain stays stable, defenders cannot rely on individual indicators or malware verdicts alone. Remote-management governance is the more durable control.

Check
Maintain an inventory and allowlist of approved remote-management tools, block or alert on any others, and warn staff that finance and government-themed messages may push legitimate remote-access software.
Affected
Organizations and users targeted by business-themed phishing that delivers legitimate remote monitoring and management tools; once installed, attackers gain hands-on remote access that looks like ordinary IT activity and evades reputation-based defenses.
Fix
Allowlist approved remote-access software and disable the rest, require remote access through controlled paths like VPNs, monitor for unexpected remote-management execution, and detect on the stable delivery chain rather than disposable domains.

Critical Citrix NetScaler flaw lets attackers bypass authentication on gateways

Citrix patched a critical flaw in NetScaler ADC and Gateway that lets a remote, unauthenticated attacker bypass authentication on appliances used for remote access. Tracked as CVE-2026-19490 and scored 9.3, it is an authentication-bypass issue affecting devices configured as a gateway for SSL VPN, ICA proxy, clientless VPN, or RDP proxy, or as an AAA authentication server. On newer builds it requires a SAML configuration, but on older builds any gateway or AAA configuration is exposed. There is no confirmed exploitation yet, but NetScaler appliances sit at the network edge and have repeatedly been attacked soon after disclosure, so patching is urgent.

Check
Upgrade NetScaler ADC and Gateway to the fixed builds immediately, and check your configuration for SAML action, gateway, and AAA virtual server entries to gauge exposure, treating edge appliances as priority targets.
Affected
Organizations running affected Citrix NetScaler ADC or Gateway as a gateway or AAA server (CVE-2026-19490); a remote, unauthenticated attacker can bypass authentication and reach internal services normally protected by it.
Fix
Patch to the fixed NetScaler versions, review configurations against Citrix's exposure criteria, monitor these appliances closely for compromise given their history as targets, and restrict management and gateway exposure where possible.

Fake IT support calls on Microsoft Teams end in Chaos ransomware

Sophos detailed a campaign, tracked as STAC4749, in which attackers impersonate IT help desk staff over Microsoft Teams to talk employees into granting remote access, then deploy Chaos ransomware. Using external Teams accounts, the operators start chats and voice calls claiming to fix an urgent problem, persuade the target to open a remote support session, and run PowerShell to pull down a modular toolkit for persistence and lateral movement. Between February and June 2026 they hit dozens of North American organizations, about 95 percent in the US and Canada, across services, manufacturing, energy, and construction. In one case they went from first contact to encrypting files in under seventeen hours.

Check
Restrict or block messages and calls from external Microsoft Teams accounts, and tell staff that real IT support will not cold-call them over Teams to request remote access.
Affected
North American organizations whose staff can be reached by external Teams accounts; attackers posing as IT support talk employees into remote access, then move laterally and deploy Chaos ransomware, sometimes within hours.
Fix
Lock down external Teams contact, train staff to verify support requests through known channels, monitor for unexpected remote-access tools and suspicious PowerShell, and audit startup and registry entries for persistence.

SonicWall SMA1000 remote-access appliances hit by exploited zero-day flaws

SonicWall is warning that two flaws in its SMA1000 remote-access appliances are being actively exploited as zero-days, and has released hotfixes. CVE-2026-15409 is an unauthenticated server-side request forgery bug in the appliance's WorkPlace interface that lets an attacker make the device send requests to internal systems, turning an edge gateway into a pivot point. CVE-2026-15410 is a code-injection flaw in the management console that lets an administrator run operating-system commands, and SonicWall rates the overall advisory a top CVSS score of 10.0. Both were added to CISA's exploited-vulnerabilities catalog, with a federal deadline of July 17. Because exploitation is confirmed, any unpatched appliance should be treated as potentially compromised.

Check
Identify all SonicWall SMA1000 appliances, including standby and disaster-recovery nodes, apply the hotfix immediately, and review authentication logs, new accounts, outbound connections, and configuration changes for signs of intrusion.
Affected
Organizations running SonicWall SMA1000 remote-access appliances (CVE-2026-15409, CVE-2026-15410); attackers are actively exploiting the flaws, and the request-forgery and code-injection bugs could be chained to reach and run commands on internal systems.
Fix
Apply SonicWall's hotfix now, restrict management interfaces to trusted networks until patched, and because exploitation is confirmed, run a compromise assessment and assume unpatched appliances may already be backdoored.

Critical BeyondTrust flaws let attackers bypass authentication on remote-access appliances

BeyondTrust has patched two critical flaws in its Remote Support and Privileged Remote Access products that let an unauthenticated, network-positioned attacker bypass authentication and reach the appliance, including accounts with elevated privileges. The bugs, CVE-2026-40138 and CVE-2026-40139, both rated 9.2, sit in the authentication subsystem and depend on a specific authentication configuration being enabled. Cloud-hosted customers were patched automatically in April, but self-hosted deployments on version 25.3.2 or earlier need to update themselves. BeyondTrust has not reported exploitation, but its remote-support products have a history of being attacked, including flaws used to breach the US Treasury and to deploy ransomware, so internet-facing appliances should be patched quickly.

Check
Identify any self-hosted BeyondTrust Remote Support or Privileged Remote Access appliances, confirm their versions, prioritize internet-facing ones, and review whether the specific authentication configuration these flaws require is enabled.
Affected
Self-hosted BeyondTrust Remote Support and Privileged Remote Access appliances on version 25.3.2 or earlier (CVE-2026-40138, CVE-2026-40139); an unauthenticated attacker can bypass authentication and gain access, including to privileged accounts.
Fix
Apply the April security rollup or upgrade to Remote Support and Privileged Remote Access 25.3.3 or later, prioritize internet-facing appliances, and review authentication configurations and logs for unauthorized access.