Audience: administrators of Ivanti Connect Secure (VPN appliances). This page is based on CISA's KEV catalog and alert, NVD and a research firm's blog; it contains no attack steps or exploit code. We could not read Ivanti's own advisory (the page did not load), so fixed version numbers are not given here.
Developing: this page will be updated as more is published
As of October 31, 2026 (JST)Not yet known
- Fixed versions for each of the three flaws (we could not read Ivanti's advisory)
- Whether a fix exists for CVE-2026-118527
- NVD's record for CVE-2026-118527 (not found in NVD as of our check)
- How many organizations were affected and who is behind the attacks
CISA added CVE-2026-111357 and CVE-2026-118527 to its KEV catalog on October 30 and updated its alert the same day. CVE-2026-104935 was added on October 13. We checked CISA's KEV feed, CISA's alert, NVD and the research firm's blog on October 31.
What to do today
List your Connect Secure appliances and versions
Include virtual and cloud appliances. CISA lists 25.1.1.2 and prior, 25.1.2.2 and prior, and 22.8R2.5 and prior as affected. Version 22.8 reaches end of life on January 31, 2027, according to CISA, so plan the move to 25.x as well.
Update to the latest version
CISA tells organizations to update to the latest version as set out in Ivanti's advisory and its 25.x upgrade and migration compatibility guide. We could not read the advisory, so confirm the fixed version for your train there before you start.
Check for compromise, not only for a patch
The research firm and CISA both say the Integrity Checker Tool may miss exploitation of CVE-2026-104935. CISA says determining compromise requires network and memory forensics. If the appliance was reachable from the internet since early October, ask your incident response provider to do this before or alongside the update (our judgment). Also review lateral movement attempts that originated from the appliance, as the research firm suggests.
If compromise is suspected, rebuild and reset credentials
CISA's guidance from the October 13 alert covers this: back up the configuration, reset to factory state and upgrade (rebuild virtual and cloud appliances), restore the configuration, then replace credentials. That means passwords for domain, admin and local accounts, certificates stored on the appliance, API keys, and license server credentials.
Cut off what you can reach until you are sure
Restrict the appliance's management interface to an administration network, and review what the appliance can reach inside your network. Decide in advance how remote staff will connect if you must take it offline.
Three flaws that chain
- CVE-2026-104935
- Authentication bypass by spoofing; a remote unauthenticated attacker can execute arbitrary commands (CISA KEV, added October 13). Covered in our October roundup
- CVE-2026-111357
- Missing authentication for a critical function (CISA); NVD describes a flaw leading to privilege escalation to root. CVSS v3.1 7.0 (local, high complexity, low privileges). Added to KEV October 30; due date November 2; forensic triage: Yes
- CVE-2026-118527
- Generation of predictable identifiers (CWE-340); a remote authenticated attacker can upload files with attacker-controlled content to a known location on disk. Added to KEV October 30; due date November 13; forensic triage: No
- Chain
- CISA says CVE-2026-111357 and CVE-2026-118527 can each be chained with CVE-2026-104935 (and with each other). CISA says exploitation allows remote, unauthenticated execution of arbitrary commands, used for credential theft and data exfiltration
- Affected
- 25.1.1.2 and prior, 25.1.2.2 and prior, 22.8R2.5 and prior (CISA alert, updated October 30)
- Fixes
- CVE-2026-104935: patches released October 13 (research firm). CVE-2026-111357: the research firm says a patch was published October 29. CVE-2026-118527: not found. Confirm in Ivanti's advisory
Why the CVSS score is only 7.0: on its own, CVE-2026-111357 needs local access and a low-privilege account. The score does not reflect the chain. Per the research firm's report, combining an authentication bypass, a file-handling flaw and this privilege escalation gave unauthenticated root-level control of an appliance that was fully patched at the time (22.8R2.4). Judge your risk by the chain, not by the single score (our judgment).
The version lists do not agree exactly. The NVD description of CVE-2026-111357 names 22.8R2.4, while NVD's affected list includes 22.8R2 to 22.8R2.5 and 25.1 releases before 25.1.1.3. CISA's list is broader (25.1.2.2 and prior). Use the widest list until Ivanti's advisory settles it.
1. Authentication bypass
CVE-2026-104935 (KEV Oct 13)
2. File upload
CVE-2026-118527 (KEV Oct 30)
3. Privilege escalation to root
CVE-2026-111357 (KEV Oct 30)
Timeline
October 3
A US research firm says it saw exploitation begin (its blog, published October 13).October 13
According to the research firm, Ivanti publishes patches for the authentication bypass; CISA adds CVE-2026-104935 to KEV; the research firm publishes its findings.October 29
The research firm updates its blog to say Ivanti has published a patch for the privilege escalation.October 30
CISA adds CVE-2026-111357 (due November 2) and CVE-2026-118527 (due November 13) to KEV and updates its alert and the affected versions.
What is known and not known
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Exploitation | CISA lists all three in KEV; attackers are said to steal credentials and data |
| Start of exploitation | October 3, per one research firm; not confirmed by Ivanti in what we could read |
| Fixed versions | Not confirmed by us; Ivanti's advisory did not load |
| CVE-2026-118527 fix | Not found |
| NVD for CVE-2026-111357 | Analyzed; CVSS 7.0 supplied by CVE.org's record; CISA coordinator marks exploitation "active" and technical impact "total" |
| NVD for CVE-2026-118527 | Record not found as of our check |
| Who is attacking, and how many victims | Not disclosed |
Sources
Checked on October 31, 2026 (JST).
- CISA, Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog (CVE-2026-111357 and CVE-2026-118527 added October 30, 2026) — cisa.gov
- CISA, "CISA Urges Patching Newly Exploited Vulnerability in Ivanti Connect Secure" (updated October 30, 2026) — cisa.gov
- NVD, CVE-2026-111357 — nvd.nist.gov
- Ivanti, "Security Advisory Ivanti Connect Secure (CVE-2026-104935)" — hub.ivanti.com (did not load when we checked; fixed versions must be confirmed here)
- Security research firm's blog, "A Series of Unauthenticated Events: Chained Exploitation of Ivanti Connect Secure Zero-Days" (October 13, 2026, updated October 29) — blog
Update history
2026-10-31: First version, based on CISA's KEV catalog and alert, NVD and a research firm's blog.
Read next
- The first flaw in the chain: Exploited edge device vulnerabilities, mid-October 2026
- Defending VPN devices: How to defend VPN devices and remote access
- Prioritising fixes: How to decide which CVEs to fix first (CVSS, EPSS, KEV)
- Response steps: Vulnerability remediation playbook
- Terms: What is CVSS?