A pair of critical vulnerabilities in widely used VPN certificates has been disclosed by Check Point, leaving thousands of organizations and individuals vulnerable to unauthenticated remote code execution (RCE) attacks. The severity of these flaws is underscored by their 9.8 rating on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS), making them among the most critical issues in recent memory.
The vulnerabilities, which affect certificates issued by DigiCert and GlobalSign, are related to a cross-domain privilege escalation issue that enables attackers to bypass authentication and execute arbitrary code on affected systems. This means that an attacker could gain full access to a network without needing to know any credentials or passwords. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it can be launched over the web, making it accessible to even the most basic of attackers.
At its core, the issue arises from the way these certificates are issued and validated. When a user connects to a VPN, their client verifies the identity of the server by checking the certificate’s digital signature. However, if an attacker has control over the intermediate certification authority (CA) or can manipulate the certificate chain, they can create a fake certificate that appears legitimate but actually grants them unauthenticated access to the network.
The scope of this vulnerability is significant, as it affects all organizations and individuals using VPNs from affected vendors, regardless of their size or industry. It’s estimated that tens of thousands of certificates have been issued with these flaws, although the exact number remains unclear. Moreover, because these vulnerabilities are related to certificate issuance rather than software or firmware, they cannot be fixed by patching – instead, affected organizations must obtain new, updated certificates from their issuing authority.
In light of this disclosure, it’s essential for organizations and individuals using VPNs to take immediate action. The first step is to verify the identity of your certification authority and ensure that you’re receiving legitimate certificates. If you suspect that your organization may be affected, it’s crucial to work with your IT team to obtain new certificates as soon as possible. Furthermore, consider implementing additional security measures such as multi-factor authentication or monitoring for suspicious activity.
Ultimately, this vulnerability serves as a stark reminder of the importance of certificate management and validation in securing online communications. By taking proactive steps to address these issues, we can prevent malicious actors from exploiting them – but only by acknowledging the scope and severity of the problem in the first place.
Source: The Hacker News — 2026-09-10