All posts tagged vulnerability

Always On VPN May 2023 Security Updates

Hey, Always On VPN administrators! It’s the second Tuesday of the month, which means security updates for Windows have been released. This month’s batch includes an update to address a critical vulnerability likely to affect many Always On VPN implementations using Windows Server.

SSTP Vulnerability

CVE-2023-24903 documents a vulnerability on Windows Servers with the Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) configured to support Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP) for VPN connections. This is a remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability that can be exploited when an attacker sends a specifically crafted malicious packet to the server. Administrators are encouraged to update as soon as possible.

Mitigation

SSTP is commonly used for Always On VPN user tunnels. However, if administrators have configured user tunnels using IKEv2, or are using the device tunnel only, consider blocking inbound TCP 443 at the edge firewall to prevent attacks from the Internet. In addition, if SSTP is not in use, consider disabling support for SSTP by opening an elevated PowerShell command window and running the following commands.

netsh.exe RAS set wanports device = “WAN Miniport (SSTP)” rasinonly = disabled ddinout = disabled ddoutonly = disabled maxports = 0

Restart-Service RemoteAccess -PassThru

Alternatively, SSTP can be disabled in the RRAS management console by following the steps below.

  1. Open the RRAS management console (rrasmgmt.msc).
  2. Expand the server.
  3. Right-click Ports.
  4. Choose Properties.
  5. Highlight WAN Miniport (SSTP).
  6. Click Configure.
  7. Uncheck Remote access connections (inbound only).
  8. Uncheck Demand-dial routing connections (inbound and outbound).
  9. Enter 0 in the Maximum ports field.
  10. Click Ok.

Additional Information

Windows SSTP Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (CVE-2023-24903)

May 2023 Security Updates for Windows Server 2016 (KB5026363)

May 2023 Security Updates for Windows Server 2019 (KB5026362)

May 2023 Security Updates for Windows Server 2022 (KB5026370)

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by Richard M. Hicks on May 9, 2023  •  Permalink
Posted in administration, Always On VPN, AOVPN, device tunnel, Enterprise, enterprise mobility, IKEv2, Infrastructure, Microsoft, Mobility, Operational Support, PowerShell, Remote Access, routing and remote access service, RRAS, Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol, Security, SSTP, TLS, Update, user tunnel, VPN, Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2022
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Posted by Richard M. Hicks on May 9, 2023

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2023/05/09/always-on-vpn-may-2023-security-updates/

Always On VPN April 2023 Security Updates

Heads up, Always On VPN administrators! This month’s patch Tuesday includes fixes for critical security vulnerabilities affecting Windows Server Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS). Crucially there are remote code execution (RCE) vulnerabilities in the Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) (CVE-2023-28232), the Layer Two Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) (CVE-2023-28219, CVE-2023-28220), the Point-to-Point over Ethernet (PPPoE) protocol (CVE-2023-28224), and the Internet Key Exchange (IKE) protocol (CVE-2023-28238). The vulnerabilities in PPTP and L2TP are especially urgent as they allow an unauthenticated attacker to exploit them. There is also a denial-of-service (DoS) vulnerability (CVE-2023-28234) in the Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP) protocol.

Exposure and Risk

The RCEs in PPTP, L2TP, and PPPoE should present limited risk as these protocols aren’t commonly used for Always On VPN (PPPoE and PPTP aren’t supported for Always On VPN, in fact). However, organizations may be using these protocols for other purposes. In addition, improperly configured edge firewalls could allow these connections even though administrators may not be actively using them. An attacker could also exploit these vulnerabilities with access to the RRAS server from the internal network.

Attack Surface Reduction

Always On VPN administrators are advised to ensure that only protocols and ports for VPN protocols in use are allowed through the edge firewall. Also, administrators should disable any unused protocols and services in RRAS to reduce the attack surface on their RRAS servers. To do this, open an elevated PowerShell command window on the RRAS server and run the following commands to disable support for the PPTP, L2TP, and PPPoE protocols.

netsh.exe ras set wanports device = “WAN Miniport (L2TP)” rasinonly = disabled ddinout = disabled ddoutonly = disabled maxports = 0

netsh.exe ras set wanports device = “WAN Miniport (PPTP)” rasinonly = disabled ddinout = disabled ddoutonly = disabled maxports = 1

netsh.exe ras set wanports device = “WAN Miniport (PPPOE)” ddoutonly = disabled

Restart-Service RemoteAccess -PassThru

Additional Vulnerabilities

This month’s update also includes fixes for other vulnerabilities that may impact Always On VPN deployments. Specifically, there are RCEs in Windows Network Address Translation (NAT) (CVE-2023-28217) and Windows Network Load Balancing (NLB) (CVE-2023-28240), and a DoS vulnerability in Windows Transport Layer Security (TLS) (CVE-2023-28234).

Update Now

Administrators should patch their RRAS servers as soon as possible to avoid potential compromise of the RRAS server in their environments.

Additional Information

Always On VPN SSTP Security Configuration

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by Richard M. Hicks on April 12, 2023  •  Permalink
Posted in administration, Always On VPN, AOVPN, authentication, Enterprise, enterprise mobility, Hotfix, Infrastructure, Microsoft, Mobility, Operational Support, PowerShell, Remote Access, routing and remote access service, RRAS, Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol, SSL, SSL and TLS, SSTP, TLS, Update, VPN, Vulnerability, Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2022
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Posted by Richard M. Hicks on April 12, 2023

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2023/04/12/always-on-vpn-april-2023-security-updates/

Always On VPN NPS and PEAP Vulnerabilities

The February 2023 security updates for Windows Server address multiple vulnerabilities that affect Microsoft Always On VPN administrators. This latest update addresses multiple critical and important vulnerabilities in the Network Policy Server (NPS), commonly used to perform RADIUS authentication for Always On VPN servers. Specifically, there are several Remote Code Execution (RCE) and Denial of Service (DoS) vulnerabilities with Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol (PEAP). PEAP with user authentication certificates is the authentication protocol of choice for Always On VPN user tunnel authentication.

Vulnerabilities

The following is a list of vulnerabilities in PEAP addressed in the February 2023 security update.

  • CVE-2023-21689 – Microsoft PEAP Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (critical)
  • CVE-2023-21690 – Microsoft PEAP Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (critical)
  • CVE-2023-21691 – Microsoft PEAP Information Disclosure vulnerability (important)
  • CVE-2023-21692 – Microsoft PEAP Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (critical)
  • CVE-2023-21695 – Microsoft PEAP Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (important)
  • CVE-2023-21701 – Microsoft PEAP Denial of Service Vulnerability (important)

Mitigation

Unauthenticated attackers can exploit the RCE vulnerabilities in PEAP on Microsoft Windows NPS servers. However, NPS servers should not be exposed directly to the Internet and would require an attacker to have access to the internal network already. However, administrators are advised to apply this update to their NPS servers as soon as possible. In addition, organizations that deploy the NPS role on enterprise domain controllers should update immediately.

Additional Information

February 2023 Update for Windows Server 2022 (KB5022842)

February 2023 Update for Windows Server 2019 (KB022840)

February 2023 Update for Windows Server 2016 (KB5022838)

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by Richard M. Hicks on February 16, 2023  •  Permalink
Posted in Active Directory, administration, Always On VPN, AOVPN, authentication, certificates, Cryptography, Device Management, EAP, Encryption, Enterprise, enterprise mobility, extensible authentication protocol, Hotfix, Infrastructure, Microsoft, Mobility, network policy server, NPS, Operational Support, PEAP, Protected EAP, Remote Access, Security, Update, user tunnel, VPN, Vulnerability, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2022
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Posted by Richard M. Hicks on February 16, 2023

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2023/02/16/always-on-vpn-nps-and-peap-vulnerabilities/

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