CISA Emergency Directive 25-02 issued for Microsoft Exchange vulnerability affecting hybrid environments

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued Emergency Directive 25-03, mandating federal agencies to identify and mitigate zero-day vulnerabilities in Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA) exploited by an advanced threat actor. The directive requires agencies to account for all affected devices, collect forensic data, and upgrade or disconnect end-of-support devices by September 26, 2025. The vulnerabilities allow threat actors to maintain persistence and gain network access. Cisco identified multiple zero-day vulnerabilities (CVE-2025-20333, CVE-2025-20362, CVE-2025-20363, and CVE-2025-20352) in Cisco ASA, Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) software, and Cisco IOS software. These vulnerabilities enable unauthenticated remote code execution, unauthorized access, and denial of service (DoS) attacks. GreyNoise detected large-scale campaigns targeting ASA login portals and Cisco IOS Telnet/SSH services, indicating potential exploitation of these vulnerabilities. The campaign is widespread and involves exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities to gain unauthenticated remote code execution on ASAs, as well as manipulating read-only memory (ROM) to persist through reboot and system upgrade. CISA and Cisco linked these ongoing attacks to the ArcaneDoor campaign, which exploited two other ASA and FTD zero-days (CVE-2024-20353 and CVE-2024-20359) to breach government networks worldwide since November 2023. CISA ordered agencies to identify all Cisco ASA and Firepower appliances on their networks, disconnect all compromised devices from the network, and patch those that show no signs of malicious activity by 12 PM EDT on September 26. CISA also ordered that agencies must permanently disconnect ASA devices that are reaching the end of support by September 30 from their networks. The U.K. National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) confirmed that threat actors exploited the recently disclosed security flaws in Cisco firewalls to deliver previously undocumented malware families like RayInitiator and LINE VIPER. Cisco began investigating attacks on multiple government agencies in May 2025, linked to the state-sponsored ArcaneDoor campaign. The attacks targeted Cisco ASA 5500-X Series devices to implant malware, execute commands, and potentially exfiltrate data. The threat actor modified ROMMON to facilitate persistence across reboots and software upgrades. The compromised devices include ASA 5500-X Series models running specific software releases with VPN web services enabled. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security urged organizations to update to a fixed version of Cisco ASA and FTD products to counter the threat.

A U.S. federal civilian executive branch (FCEB) agency was breached in July 2024 after attackers exploited an unpatched GeoServer instance. The attackers gained initial access through a critical remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability (CVE-2024-36401) and moved laterally within the network, deploying web shells and scripts for persistence and privilege escalation. The breach remained undetected for three weeks until the agency's Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) tool alerted the Security Operations Center (SOC). The attackers exploited the vulnerability in GeoServer, which was patched in June 2024 but remained unpatched in the agency's environment. They used brute force techniques for lateral movement and privilege escalation, accessing service accounts and deploying web shells like China Chopper. The breach highlights the importance of timely patching, continuous monitoring of EDR alerts, and comprehensive incident response plans. The attackers discovered the vulnerable GeoServer instances by conducting network scanning with Burp Suite. They exploited the vulnerability to gain access to a public-facing GeoServer instance and downloaded open-source scripts and tools for lateral movement. On July 24, 2024, the attackers exploited the same vulnerability to gain access to a second GeoServer instance and moved laterally to a Web server and SQL server, where they dropped web shells, including China Chopper. The attackers also used Stowaway for command-and-control (C2) traffic and attempted to exploit CVE-2016-5195 for privilege escalation. The agency's incident response plan was inadequate, and some public-facing resources lacked endpoint protection, allowing the breach to remain undetected for three weeks.

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added two vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog amid active exploitation. The flaws affect TP-Link TL-WA855RE Wi-Fi Ranger Extender products and WhatsApp. The TP-Link flaw (CVE-2020-24363) allows unauthenticated attackers on the same network to reset the device and gain administrative access. The WhatsApp flaw (CVE-2025-55177) was exploited in a targeted spyware campaign in conjunction with an Apple vulnerability (CVE-2025-43300). CISA has advised federal agencies to apply mitigations by September 23, 2025. The TP-Link product has reached end-of-life (EoL) status, meaning it will not receive further patches or updates. There are no reports of in-the-wild exploitation of CVE-2020-24363 prior to CISA’s warning, but proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit code has been publicly available since July 2020.

Chinese state-sponsored Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actors, specifically the Salt Typhoon group and a newly identified group named RedNovember, have been conducting sustained campaigns to compromise critical infrastructure networks worldwide. The campaigns aim to gain long-term access to telecommunications, government, transportation, lodging, and military networks. This activity has been detailed in a joint advisory by CISA, NSA, FBI, and international partners, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain. The advisory provides intelligence on tactics used by these actors and recommends mitigations to strengthen defenses. The Czech Republic's National Cyber and Information Security Agency (NUKIB) has issued a warning instructing critical infrastructure organizations to avoid using Chinese technology or transferring user data to servers located in China. The agency has re-evaluated its risk estimate of significant disruptions caused by China, now assessing it at a 'High' level. The NUKIB has confirmed malicious activities of Chinese cyber-actors targeting the Czech Republic, including a recent APT31 campaign targeting the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The advisory highlights concerns over the transfer of system and user data to China, potentially misused by state, military, or political interests. The Czech government previously accused China of targeting its critical infrastructure through APT 31, an allegation denied by the PRC but condemned by the US, EU, and NATO. The advisory suggests that individuals and organizations consider restricting or prohibiting the use of products and services that transfer data to China. The campaign has targeted at least 600 organizations across 80 countries, including 200 in the U.S. The threat actors have exploited vulnerabilities in Cisco, Ivanti, and Palo Alto Networks devices to gain initial access and have modified routers to maintain persistent access and pivot into other networks. The advisory also notes that the APT actors may target other devices such as Fortinet firewalls, Juniper firewalls, Microsoft Exchange, Nokia routers and switches, Sierra Wireless devices, Sonicwall firewalls, etc. RedNovember has targeted perimeter appliances of high-profile organizations globally, including defense and aerospace organizations, space organizations, and law firms. The group has breached at least two U.S. defense contractors, a European engine manufacturer, and a trade-focused intergovernmental cooperation body in Southeast Asia. RedNovember has used the Go-based backdoor Pantegana and Cobalt Strike as part of its intrusions, along with the Spark RAT and LESLIELOADER. The group has also used VPN services like ExpressVPN and Warp VPN to administer and connect to servers used for exploitation and communication.

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added two N-able N-central flaws to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. The vulnerabilities, CVE-2025-8875 and CVE-2025-8876, are being actively exploited in a limited number of on-premises environments. N-able N-central is a Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) platform used by Managed Service Providers (MSPs). The flaws were addressed in versions 2025.3.1 and 2024.6 HF2, released on August 13, 2025. The vulnerabilities require authentication to exploit. N-able has urged customers to upgrade and enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) to mitigate risks. The exact exploitation methods and scale are unknown. Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) agencies must apply fixes by August 20, 2025.