Qilin Exploits a Patched PAN-OS Vulnerability: What It Means

Colleagues, I would like to draw your attention to a cybersecurity incident. Qilin is leveraging the already patched PAN-OS vulnerability CVE-2026-0257 for initial access.

What is happening:
• attackers bypass authentication and establish VPN sessions;
• they then move laterally via PsExec and administrative resources;
• before encryption, they delete logs and disable Microsoft Defender Real-Time Protection;
• across different attacks, both no-leak encryption and double extortion have been observed.

Why it matters: even a fixed vulnerability remains a risk if external gateways are not updated and validated.

How are you securing PAN-OS and your VPN perimeter? #cybersecurity #ransomware #PANOS #SOC