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

Always On VPN May 2024 Security Updates

Always On VPN RasMan Errors in Windows 10 1903

Once again, Microsoft has released its monthly security updates. For May 2024, there are several vulnerabilities in services related to Always On VPN that administrators will want to pay close attention to. Microsoft has identified known issues in the Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) and the Remote Access Connection Manager (RasMan) service for this release cycle.

RRAS

This month, Microsoft published seven security fixes for vulnerabilities discovered in RRAS. All seven are Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerabilities rated Important. In addition, all vulnerabilities in RRAS require specific information about the environment for compromise, mitigating some of the exposure.

CVE-2024-30009

CVE-2024-30014

CVE-2024-30015

CVE-2024-30022

CVE-2024-30023

CVE-2024-30024

CVE-2024-30029

RasMan

In addition to the updates for vulnerabilities in RRAS, Microsoft also released a security fix for issues identified in the Remote Access Connection Manager (RasMan) service. This update is marked Important but is not an RCE.

CVE-2024-30039

Recommendations

Although the vulnerabilities in RRAS are remotely exploitable, they will require specific information for an attacker to compromise. The risk of targeted attacks is lower than opportunistic ones, but administrators are still urged to update as soon as possible.

Additional Information

May 2024 Security Updates