NachoVPN Flaw Lets Hackers Control Your VPN Client

Researchers have revealed a critical vulnerability chain that they have cleverly named “NachoVPN,” which takes advantage of vulnerabilities that are present in popular corporate VPN service providers. 

By focusing on a single VPN server, this exploit chain has the potential to compromise a significant number of devices within the network. 

NachoVPN hinges on two critical vulnerabilities: CVE-2024-29014 and CVE-2024-5921, where the first vulnerability (CVE-2024-29014) resides within the update verification mechanism of the VPN client itself. 

In order to inject a malicious update onto a VPN server that has been compromised, attackers can exploit this flaw and exploit it. 

After the vulnerability has been implemented, they will be able to exploit a separate vulnerability (CVE-2024-5921) that is present within the update retrieval process of the client in order to manipulate the download location for the update. 

The compromised server is able to deliver the malicious update that the attacker has created while pretending to be a legitimate update due to this manipulation. 

 graphic from the talk

Fooled by the spoofed update, unsuspecting clients download and install it, potentially granting the attackers Remote Code Execution (RCE) on their devices, which effectively grants the attacker full control over the compromised system.

The criticality of NachoVPN lies in its ability to target a single point of failure, the VPN server. By compromising this single server, attackers can gain access to a multitude of vulnerable clients connected to it. 

The Amberwolf offers a deep dive into the technical specifics of the NachoVPN exploit and urges users and corporations to prioritize patching the aforementioned vulnerabilities (CVE-2024-29014 and CVE-2024-5921) in their VPN clients. 

The application of patches to address these vulnerabilities is absolutely necessary in order to effectively reduce the likelihood of being attacked by NachoVPN.

To further strengthen their virtual private network (VPN) defenses, organizations should consider implementing additional security measures in addition to patching vulnerability patches. 

These measures could include Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) during the VPN login process and network segmentation to limit the potential blast radius in case of a successful NachoVPN attack.

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Kaaviya
Kaaviyahttps://cyberpress.org/
Kaaviya is a Security Editor and fellow reporter with Cyber Press. She is covering various cyber security incidents happening in the Cyber Space.

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