Description

Cisco has introduced advanced security features to combat brute-force and password spray attacks on Cisco ASA and Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) devices, aiming to strengthen network defenses while improving resource efficiency. Brute-force and password spray attacks both attempt unauthorized access but differ in approach. Password spray attacks try the same password across multiple accounts, while brute-force attacks target one account with various password guesses. In April, Cisco reported a rise in brute-force attacks targeting VPN accounts across multiple networking devices, including those from Cisco, Check Point, and Fortinet, which can lead to unauthorized access, account lockouts, and denial-of-service incidents. To address these threats, Cisco has rolled out enhanced threat detection capabilities to reduce the impact of these attacks, now available across all software versions. Administrators can activate these features by ensuring devices run supported software versions. Key commands allow for blocking connections to invalid tunnel groups and limiting repeated connection and authentication attempts from the same IP address, with configurable hold-down periods and trigger thresholds. Organizations facing brute-force attacks are strongly encouraged to implement these updates to better secure VPN credentials, which are often targeted in ransomware attacks.