Report: Increasing Number of Vulnerabilities in OpenVPN

OpenVPN, a popular open source virtual private network (VPN) system integrated into millions of routers, firmware, PCs, mobile devices and other smart devices, is leaving users open to a growing list of threats, according to a new report from Microsoft.

The company released a security report detailing some of the latest holes in the open source service, and is warning that many of these vulnerabilities could be used in conjunction "to achieve an attack chain consisting of remote code execution (RCE) and local privilege escalation (LPE)." The report was compiled after Microsoft discussed a handful of new OpenVPN holes during a session at Black Hat USA 2024.

Microsoft initially reported these vulnerabilities to OpenVPN in March 2024 through Coordinated Vulnerability Disclosure (CVD) via the Microsoft Security Vulnerability Research (MSVR) team. Following this, Microsoft and OpenVPN worked together to patch the vulnerabilities, culminating in the release of OpenVPN 2.6.10.   

The discovered vulnerabilities include:

  • CVE-2024-27459: Affects the openvpnserv component, leading to potential denial of service (DoS) and local privilege escalation (LPE) in Windows.
  • CVE-2024-24974: Also within openvpnserv, this vulnerability allows unauthorized access to Windows.
  • CVE-2024-27903: This flaw can result in remote code execution (RCE) on Windows and LPE or data manipulation on Android, iOS, macOS and BSD.
  • CVE-2024-1305: Affects the Windows TAP driver, leading to a potential DoS on Windows.

"All the identified vulnerabilities can be exploited once an attacker gains access to a user's OpenVPN credentials, which could be accomplished using credential theft techniques, such as purchasing stolen credentials on the dark web, using info-stealing malware, or sniffing network traffic to capture NTLMv2 hashes and then using cracking tools like HashCat or John the Ripper to decode them," wrote the Microsoft Threat Intelligence team.

What's interesting is that the discovered vulnerabilities all can be found on the client side. Microsoft stressed that OpennVPN's server is secure, and discovered no holes on that side of the equation.

Microsoft reported these vulnerabilities to OpenVPN in March 2024 through Coordinated Vulnerability Disclosure (CVD) via the Microsoft Security Vulnerability Research (MSVR) team. Following this, Microsoft and OpenVPN worked together to patch the vulnerabilities, culminating in the release of OpenVPN 2.6.10.  However, Microsoft said that users are strongly urged to apply the latest security updates to mitigate potential risks as soon as available.

Microsoft advises organizations using OpenVPN to verify their versions and apply the necessary patches immediately. Ensuring strong credential management and limiting access to VPN services can further mitigate potential risks.

About the Author

Chris Paoli (@ChrisPaoli5) is the associate editor for Converge360.

Featured

  • SXSW EDU

    Explore the Future of AI in Higher Ed at SXSW EDU 2025

    This March 3-6 in Austin, TX, the SXSW EDU Conference & Festival celebrates its 15th year of exploring education's most critical issues and providing a forum for creativity, innovation, and expression.

  • man working on laptop outdoors

    Digital Leadership Must-Haves for 2025: A CDO's Picks

    Now that he's more than a year and a half into his chief digital officer role at NJIT, we've asked Ed Wozencroft to reflect on his areas of concentration: What work must digital leaders "own" in 2025?

  • From Fire TV to Signage Stick: University of Utah's Digital Signage Evolution

    Jake Sorensen, who oversees sponsorship and advertising and Student Media in Auxiliary Business Development at the University of Utah, has navigated the digital signage landscape for nearly 15 years. He was managing hundreds of devices on campus that were incompatible with digital signage requirements and needed a solution that was reliable and lowered labor costs. The Amazon Signage Stick, specifically engineered for digital signage applications, gave him the stability and design functionality the University of Utah needed, along with the assurance of long-term support.

  • digital artwork of glowing, interconnected neural-like shapes on a gradient background of deep blue and vibrant purple

    Google Announces Upgrade to Flagship Gemini AI Platform, Enhancing Multimodal Capabilities

    Google has launched Gemini 2.0, designed to empower enterprise users and developers with advanced multimodal capabilities and enhanced performance.