Always On VPN Security Updates June 2025

Patch Tuesday is upon us again; thankfully, it’s a light month of Always On VPN administrators. The Microsoft monthly security updates for June 2025 include just a few Windows Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) fixes. In addition, an update is available for a vulnerability in the Windows Remote Access Connection Manager. Significantly, DirectAccess administrators are affected this month by a vulnerability identified in the Windows KDC Proxy Service (KPSSVC).

RRAS Updates

The Microsoft security updates for June 2025 address the following CVEs for Windows Server RRAS.

Both RRAS CVEs are Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerabilities with max severity ratings of Important.

Remote Access Connection Manager

A security vulnerability in the Windows Remote Access Connection Manager is addressed with the following CVE.

An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could elevate local access privileges.

KDC Proxy

This critical vulnerability affects those organizations still supporting Microsoft DirectAccess in their environments.

This CVE addresses an RCE in the KDC Proxy Service (KPSSVC) that could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code over the network. DirectAccess administrators are encouraged to apply this update as soon as possible.

Additional Information

Microsoft June 2025 Security Updates

Microsoft Deprecates Legacy VPN Protocols

It’s long overdue, but Microsoft has finally announced the formal deprecation of the Point-to-Point Tunnel Protocol (PPTP) and the Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) in Windows Server Routing and Remote Access (RRAS) Servers. Both protocols have long since been replaced with more secure alternatives such as the Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP) and Internet Key Exchange version 2 (IKEV2). However, many organizations have RRAS servers configured using these legacy protocols to support ad-hoc, on-demand access for non-managed users and devices.

Deprecated Protocols

There are a few reasons why Microsoft has deprecated these legacy protocols. Consider the following.

PPTP

It’s been widely known for many years that PPTP is broken and terribly insecure. Using this VPN protocol today is tremendously risky.

L2TP

L2TP is still considered secure, for the most part. However, it has been replaced with IKEv2, which is more secure and efficient.

Future Support

Although Microsoft made the announcement recently, the protocols will still be included in Windows Server 2025 when released later this year. However, Microsoft may remove these protocols from future Windows Server releases.

Always On VPN

Those who have deployed Microsoft Always On VPN are likely already using modern, secure VPN protocols, so this deprecation announcement won’t impact them. Although PPTP and L2TP are technically supported with Always On VPN, they are not commonly configured.

Recommendations

Administrators using Windows Server RRAS for VPN access using PPTP are encouraged to migrate to another protocol immediately. Those continuing to use L2TP should consider migrating soon.

Additional Information

Always On VPN Protocol Recommendations for Windows Server RRAS

Always On VPN Security Updates October 2024

Microsoft has released the October 2024 security updates, and numerous issues may impact Always On VPN administrators. Although many CVEs affect Always On VPN-related services that are Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerabilities, none are critical this cycle.

RRAS Updates

This month, Microsoft has provided 12 updates for the Windows Server Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS), commonly deployed to support Always On VPN deployments. Most of these CVEs involve overflow vulnerabilities (heap and stack), input validation weaknesses, and buffer over-read and overflow vulnerabilities. All are rated important, and there are no known exploits currently.

CVE-2024-38212

CVE-2024-38261

CVE-2024-38265

CVE-2024-43453

CVE-2024-43549

CVE-2024-43564

CVE-2024-43589

CVE-2024-43592

CVE-2024-43593

CVE-2024-43607

CVE-2024-43608

CVE-2024-43611

Related Updates

In addition to the updates above, Microsoft also released fixes for security vulnerabilities in various related services that are important to Always On VPN administrators.

Windows Network Address Translation (NAT)

The following CVEs address denial of service vulnerabilities in the Network Address Translation (NAT) service.

CVE-2024-43562

CVE-2024-43565

Certificate Services

Always On VPN administrators will also find updates for CVEs affecting various certificate services-related components.

CVE-2024-43545OCSP Denial of Service Vulnerability

CVE-2024-43541Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol (SCEP) Denial of Service Vulnerability

CVE-2024-43544Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol (SCEP) Denial of Service Vulnerability

Recommendations

Always On VPN administrators are encouraged to update systems as soon as possible. However, since none of the CVEs is rated Critical, updates can be applied during standard update windows.

Additional Information

Microsoft October 2024 Security Updates