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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Attacks targeting two enterprise VPN products rose sharply in the first quarter of 2021, according to Nuspire telemetry reported by Dark Reading. The increases were aimed at known flaws in Fortinet SSL-VPN and Pulse Connect Secure—not evidence of a surge in attacks against consumer VPN users, nor a measure of attack activity today.
What rose, and how much?
Nuspire’s logs from thousands of devices at customer locations showed attacks against Fortinet SSL-VPN increased 1,916% from the beginning of Q1 2021. Attempts targeting Pulse Connect Secure VPNs increased 1,527% over the same period, according to Dark Reading’s June 14, 2021 report. These are increases in observed attack activity, not percentages of devices breached or counts of successful compromises.
The article does not provide the raw attack counts or a full measurement methodology, so the percentages describe Nuspire’s reported telemetry rather than a global total. They are historical figures for Q1 2021 and should not be read as current attack rates.
Which vulnerabilities were being targeted?
| Product | Vulnerability | Effect described | Reported increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fortinet SSL-VPN | CVE-2018-13379 | A path traversal flaw that could let an unauthenticated attacker download files through the FortiOS SSL VPN web portal. | 1,916% from the beginning of Q1 2021, in Nuspire telemetry reported by Dark Reading. |
| Pulse Connect Secure | CVE-2019-11510 | An arbitrary file disclosure vulnerability; Dark Reading described its maximum possible severity rating as 10. | 1,527% during Q1 2021, in Nuspire telemetry reported by Dark Reading. |
Fortinet’s August 28, 2019 advisory says CVE-2018-13379 affected the FortiOS SSL VPN web portal and that patches had been released in May 2019. It identifies a firmware upgrade as the primary recommended solution. Dark Reading reported that patches for both cited vendors’ flaws were available well before the Q1 2021 spike.
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The reported targets were vulnerable enterprise remote-access appliances. The episode does not mean ordinary consumer VPN applications were the focus; the cited vulnerabilities affected specific business VPN products and versions. Administrators should use current vendor guidance to determine whether a particular appliance or version is affected, rather than relying on this historical account as a patch-status check.
Why the spike mattered
A vulnerable VPN appliance can be an entry point into an organization’s network, which makes an exposed flaw consequential even when the device is only one part of the environment. The central security issue was not that VPN technology suddenly became unsafe, but that attackers were pursuing known vulnerabilities where organizations had not yet patched.
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The story also reported declines in other activity during the same period: Nuspire measured malware activity down more than 54% versus Q4 2020, non-VPN vulnerability exploit activity down nearly 22% quarter over quarter, and botnet activity down about 11%. The article attributed some of these declines to the January 2021 law-enforcement takedown of Emotet. Those figures are also historical and come from the same reported telemetry context.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What enterprise administrators should do
Patch exposed VPN appliances
Check vendor advisories for the exact product and software version, then apply the vendor’s recommended security update or mitigation. For FortiOS, Fortinet’s cited advisory identifies a firmware upgrade as the primary fix for CVE-2018-13379. Verify remediation on the appliance itself; perimeter devices can be missed when patching focuses mainly on user computers and servers.
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Monitor both the perimeter and endpoints
Review logs and alerts from VPN gateways, firewalls, identity systems, and endpoints. Looking only at endpoint activity can miss suspicious access or exploitation attempts directed at a remote-access appliance. Correlate unusual VPN logins and appliance events with activity on the internal systems those sessions can reach.
Protect every remote-access route
Include VPN and Microsoft Remote Desktop access in the organization’s remote-access security controls. Limit access to what users need, keep exposed services maintained, and investigate unexpected connections rather than assuming a VPN login is trustworthy because it used the approved gateway.
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Require multifactor authentication
MFA can reduce the value of stolen credentials by requiring another authentication factor for remote access. A physical FIDO2 security key is one possible authenticator where the organization’s systems support it, but MFA does not fix a vulnerable VPN appliance; it complements patching, not replaces it.
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