Akira Ransomware Bypasses MFA in Ongoing Attacks on SonicWall SSL VPN Devices

The Akira ransomware group continues to evolve its attacks on SonicWall SSL VPN devices, with researchers warning that the threat actors are managing to log into accounts even when one-time password (OTP) multi-factor authentication (MFA) is enabled. Cybersecurity firm Arctic Wolf reported that attackers appear to be exploiting previously stolen OTP seeds or a similar method to bypass MFA, though the exact technique remains unclear. 

Earlier this year, Akira was observed exploiting SonicWall SSL VPN devices to breach corporate networks. Initially, researchers suspected a zero-day vulnerability was involved. However, SonicWall later attributed the incidents to an improper access control flaw identified as CVE-2024-40766, disclosed in September 2024. The flaw had been patched in August 2024, but attackers continued to exploit stolen credentials from compromised devices even after updates were applied. SonicWall advised administrators to reset all VPN credentials and update to the latest SonicOS firmware.
 

The latest Arctic Wolf findings reveal a persistent campaign in which multiple OTP challenges were triggered before successful logins, implying that attackers may be generating valid OTP tokens using previously harvested OTP seeds. The company confirmed that these logins were linked to devices affected by CVE-2024-40766, suggesting that stolen credentials remain a key entry point.

In a relate

[…]
Content was cut in order to protect the source.Please visit the source for the rest of the article.