Citrix Bleed 2: CISA Warns of Active Exploitation

Critical Security Flaw in Citrix NetScaler Actively Exploited

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued a warning regarding the active exploitation of a critical security vulnerability within a prevalent Citrix product.

Federal government departments have been directed to implement necessary patches within a single day to secure their systems against potential breaches.

Understanding the “Citrix Bleed 2” Vulnerability

Security experts have named this flaw “Citrix Bleed 2” due to its parallels with a security issue discovered in 2023 affecting Citrix NetScaler.

NetScaler is a crucial networking solution utilized by numerous large organizations and governmental bodies to facilitate secure remote access to applications and internal network resources.

Similar to its predecessor, Citrix Bleed 2 allows for remote exploitation, enabling unauthorized actors to extract confidential credentials from compromised NetScaler devices.

Successful exploitation grants hackers expanded access to a company’s broader network infrastructure.

Evidence of Active Exploitation

CISA’s alert, released on Thursday, confirms evidence of ongoing hacking campaigns leveraging this vulnerability.

This confirmation aligns with extensive research and reports indicating widespread exploitation, with some instances traced back to mid-June.

Akamai reported a substantial surge in internet scanning activity targeting vulnerable devices following the public disclosure of the NetScaler exploit earlier this week.

CISA’s Emergency Directive

Recognizing the significant risk posed to federal systems, CISA has mandated that all affected federal agencies patch their Citrix devices by Friday.