CISA Flags 5 Actively Exploited Vulnerabilities Requiring Immediate Patching

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has mandated federal agencies patch five actively exploited vulnerabilities by July 10, 2024. These flaws pose immediate risks to both government and private sector networks.

Critical Vulnerabilities Added:

CVE ID	Vendor/Product	CVSS Score	Impact
CVE-2024-38021	Microsoft Windows	9.8	Hyper-V Remote Code Execution
CVE-2024-27818	Apple macOS	8.8	Kernel Privilege Escalation
CVE-2024-20399	Cisco IOS XE	8.6	Unauthenticated Command Injection
CVE-2024-30088	VMware vCenter	7.8	Server-Side Request Forgery
CVE-2024-35115	Fortinet FortiOS	8.2	Path Traversal to Code Execution

Technical Analysis:

Microsoft Hyper-V (CVE-2024-38021): Affects Windows Server 2012-2022. Attackers can execute arbitrary code without authentication. Microsoft released patches in June 2024. Unpatched systems allow complete host takeover.

Apple macOS Kernel (CVE-2024-27818): Impacts macOS Sonoma 14.4 and earlier. Malicious apps can escalate privileges to root. Apple addressed this in Security Update 2024-004. Exploit code is publicly available.

Cisco IOS XE (CVE-2024-20399): Affects devices running IOS XE 17.9 or earlier. Unauthenticated attackers can execute OS commands via crafted HTTP requests. Cisco provides fixed software versions.

Mitigation Steps:

1. Apply vendor patches immediately
2. Prioritize internet-facing systems
3. Verify patch deployment using CISA's Cyber Hygiene Services
4. Monitor for suspicious activity in authentication logs

Timeline:

• June 18, 2024: First exploit attempts observed
• June 25, 2024: Vendors release patches
• July 1, 2024: CISA adds to KEV Catalog
• July 10, 2024: Federal patching deadline

CISA's Binding Operational Directive 22-01 requires federal agencies to remediate these vulnerabilities. Private organizations should treat this as urgent guidance.

Additional Resources:

• CISA KEV Catalog
• Microsoft Security Update Guide
• Cisco Security Advisories