Ivanti Connect Secure CVE-2026-104935: zero-day chain exploited since Oct 3; root privesc still unpatched; on KEV, due Oct 16
Authentication bypass leading to remote code execution (CVSS 8.6), on CISA KEV since Oct 13 with an Oct 16 due date. Volexity says actor UTA0576 exploited it from Oct 3 against an appliance that was fully patched at the time (22.8R2.4): a
welcome.cgi auth bypass via the X-DSCGI-PATH header plus a race in wu.cgi uploads, chained with a separate privilege escalation (dsinvoked/DSCache) that Ivanti has not yet fixed. Post-exploitation targeted AD credentials, LAPS passwords and BitLocker keys, with log tampering. The chain patches code in memory only, so Ivanti's Integrity Checker does not detect it; memory and network forensics are needed. Fixed (auth bypass/RCE) in 22.8R2.5 and 25.1.3.0. Hunt: high volumes of requests to /dana-na/auth/url_default/welcome.cgi where the URL path and X-DSCGI-PATH header mismatch; check /tmp/. Defused says its honeypots caught what it believes is this exploit on Oct 1 (unconfirmed by Ivanti).Sources: Ivanti advisory · Volexity: chained exploitation of ICS zero-days · CISA KEV · @DefusedCyber (honeypot claim)