Ivanti Pulse Connect Secure Arbitrary File Read Vulnerability
What it is
Ivanti Pulse Connect Secure contains an arbitrary file read vulnerability that allows an unauthenticated remote attacker with network access via HTTPS to send a specially crafted URI.
Known to be used in ransomware campaigns.Active threat actors have chained this vulnerability into ransomware operations — treat patching as a same-week priority, not a "next maintenance window" task. The coping action is the same one below; the urgency is higher.
Who's affected
Affects anyone using Ivanti VPN (Connect Secure or Pulse) or Ivanti endpoint management. The VPN is what remote workers use to reach internal systems; the endpoint management tool typically has admin reach into every laptop — exploitation in either is high-impact.
What to do
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
CISA action deadline: May 3, 2022. Federal agencies must complete the required action by this date. For private SMBs the deadline is advisory — but treat it as a strong recommendation, especially if you handle regulated data (HIPAA, GLBA, ABA model rules).
If you don't have someone in-house to verify the patch deployed across every endpoint — or you're not sure whether you're affected — that's exactly the kind of triage we do. Book a free 20-minute triage call.
Severity
CVSS base score: 10.0 — CRITICAL
Weakness classification: CWE-22
Source
Pulled daily from the public cisagov/kev-data mirror (CC0). View the original entry on cisa.gov. CISA KEV is US-Government public-domain data; we add the SMB-vertical framing and the coping action above.