Company Details
unit42
428
86,595
541514
paloaltonetworks.com
129
PAL_2757838
Completed

Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 Company CyberSecurity Posture
paloaltonetworks.comPalo Alto Networks Unit 42 brings together world-renowned threat researchers with an elite team of incident responders and security consultants to create an intelligence-driven, response-ready organization passionate about helping customers more proactively manage cyber risk. With a deeply rooted reputation for delivering world-class threat intelligence, Unit 42 provides industry-leading incident response and cyber risk management services to security leaders around the globe.
Company Details
unit42
428
86,595
541514
paloaltonetworks.com
129
PAL_2757838
Completed
Between 700 and 749

PANU Global Score (TPRM)XXXX

Description: Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 uncovered a Dark Gate malware campaign exploiting legitimate tools for distributing malware. Using Excel files, the malware leveraged public SMB shares to spread across North America, Europe, and Asia. DarkGate, a sophisticated RAT, is capable of various malicious activities, evading detection, and has been active since 2018. The surge in activity followed Qakbot infrastructure disruption and reached its peak with 2,000 samples in a single day, indicating a widespread and significant breach.
Description: Palo Alto Networks faced a **massive, coordinated brute-force cyberattack** targeting its **GlobalProtect VPN systems**, beginning on **November 14, 2025**. The assault escalated rapidly, with a **40-fold spike in malicious sessions** (2.3 million attacks) in 24 hours, focusing on the `/global-protect/login.esp` endpoint. Threat actors exploited **distributed infrastructure**, primarily via **AS200373 (3xK Tech GmbH, Germany)** and secondary ASNs, using **consistent JA4t fingerprints** to evade detection. While no confirmed data breach occurred yet, the attack’s scale and **historical correlation with pre-exploitation scanning** (similar to past Fortinet VPN breaches) suggests **imminent risk of vulnerability exploitation**. The campaign’s **indiscriminate global targeting** (U.S., Mexico, Pakistan) and **highly organized nature** (temporal patterns, ASN concentration) indicate a **sophisticated threat actor** probing for weaknesses. Though currently a **brute-force operation**, unpatched systems (e.g., **CVE-2025-0108**, an **actively exploited authentication bypass**) heighten the risk of **follow-on attacks**, including **credential theft, lateral movement, or ransomware deployment**. Organizations were urged to **patch immediately**, restrict VPN access, and block malicious IPs. The incident underscores **critical vulnerabilities in enterprise VPN security**, with potential **operational disruption, reputational damage, and financial losses** if exploited further.


Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 has 112.77% more incidents than the average of same-industry companies with at least one recorded incident.
Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 has 56.25% more incidents than the average of all companies with at least one recorded incident.
Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 reported 1 incidents this year: 1 cyber attacks, 0 ransomware, 0 vulnerabilities, 0 data breaches, compared to industry peers with at least 1 incident.
PANU cyber incidents detection timeline including parent company and subsidiaries

Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 brings together world-renowned threat researchers with an elite team of incident responders and security consultants to create an intelligence-driven, response-ready organization passionate about helping customers more proactively manage cyber risk. With a deeply rooted reputation for delivering world-class threat intelligence, Unit 42 provides industry-leading incident response and cyber risk management services to security leaders around the globe.


CrowdStrike (Nasdaq: CRWD), a global cybersecurity leader, has redefined modern security with the world’s most advanced cloud-native platform for protecting critical areas of enterprise risk — endpoints and cloud workloads, identity and data. Powered by the CrowdStrike Security Cloud and world-clas
Palo Alto Networks, the global cybersecurity leader, is shaping the cloud-centric future with technology that is transforming the way people and organizations operate. Our mission is to be the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life. We help address the world's greatest s
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KawaiiGPT, a free malicious large language model (LLM) first spotted in July 2025 and now at version 2.5, empowers novice cybercriminals...
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Explore insights on cybersecurity incidents, risk posture, and Rankiteo's assessments.
The official website of Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 is http://paloaltonetworks.com/unit42.
According to Rankiteo, Palo Alto Networks Unit 42’s AI-generated cybersecurity score is 728, reflecting their Moderate security posture.
According to Rankiteo, Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 currently holds 0 security badges, indicating that no recognized compliance certifications are currently verified for the organization.
According to Rankiteo, Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 is not certified under SOC 2 Type 1.
According to Rankiteo, Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 does not hold a SOC 2 Type 2 certification.
According to Rankiteo, Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 is not listed as GDPR compliant.
According to Rankiteo, Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 does not currently maintain PCI DSS compliance.
According to Rankiteo, Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 is not compliant with HIPAA regulations.
According to Rankiteo,Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 is not certified under ISO 27001, indicating the absence of a formally recognized information security management framework.
Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 operates primarily in the Computer and Network Security industry.
Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 employs approximately 428 people worldwide.
Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 presently has no subsidiaries across any sectors.
Palo Alto Networks Unit 42’s official LinkedIn profile has approximately 86,595 followers.
Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 is classified under the NAICS code 541514, which corresponds to Others.
No, Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 does not have a profile on Crunchbase.
Yes, Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 maintains an official LinkedIn profile, which is actively utilized for branding and talent engagement, which can be accessed here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unit42.
As of December 04, 2025, Rankiteo reports that Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 has experienced 2 cybersecurity incidents.
Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 has an estimated 2,928 peer or competitor companies worldwide.
Incident Types: The types of cybersecurity incidents that have occurred include Cyber Attack and Breach.
Detection and Response: The company detects and responds to cybersecurity incidents through an third party assistance with greynoise (threat intelligence and blocking solutions), and containment measures with upgrade to patched versions of pan-os/globalprotect, containment measures with restrict management interface access to trusted internal ips, containment measures with monitor for anomalous login attempts from suspicious asns (as200373, as208885), containment measures with implement rate limiting on vpn authentication endpoints, and remediation measures with apply patches for cve-2025-0108, cve-2025-2183, cve-2025-0141, cve-2025-0140, remediation measures with block malicious ips via greynoise block solution, and enhanced monitoring with monitor for ja4t fingerprints: 65495_2-4-8-1-3_65495_7, 33280_2-4-8-1-3_65495_7..
Title: Dark Gate Malware Campaign
Description: Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 uncovered a Dark Gate malware campaign exploiting legitimate tools for distributing malware. Using Excel files, the malware leveraged public SMB shares to spread across North America, Europe, and Asia. DarkGate, a sophisticated RAT, is capable of various malicious activities, evading detection, and has been active since 2018. The surge in activity followed Qakbot infrastructure disruption and reached its peak with 2,000 samples in a single day, indicating a widespread and significant breach.
Type: Malware Campaign
Attack Vector: Excel files and public SMB shares
Threat Actor: DarkGate
Motivation: Data exfiltration, evasion of detection, and distribution of malware
Title: Massive Brute-Force Campaign Targeting Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect VPN Systems
Description: Security researchers at GreyNoise uncovered a massive spike in cyberattacks targeting Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect VPN systems. The assault began on November 14, 2025, escalating into a coordinated campaign striking millions of login portals worldwide. The attack intensity surged 40-fold in a single day, marking the highest activity level recorded in the past 90 days. Approximately 2.3 million malicious sessions targeted the /global-protect/login.esp URI on Palo Alto PAN-OS and GlobalProtect systems. The campaign demonstrated consistent TCP/JA4t signatures and temporal patterns, suggesting a persistent and organized operation. Primary attack sources included AS200373 (3xK Tech GmbH, Germany) and AS208885 (Noyobzoda Faridduni Saidilhom), with the U.S., Mexico, and Pakistan as top targets. The campaign appears to be a brute-force scanning operation, potentially signaling upcoming exploitation of vulnerabilities.
Date Detected: 2025-11-14
Date Publicly Disclosed: 2025-11-14
Type: Brute-Force Attack
Attack Vector: Brute-Force ScanningCredential StuffingExploitation of VPN Login Portals
Threat Actor: Attribution Confidence: High (assessed by GreyNoise)Tactics Techniques Procedures: ['Brute-force scanning', 'Distributed hosting infrastructure (AS200373, AS208885)', 'Consistent JA4t fingerprints (65495_2-4-8-1-3_65495_7, 33280_2-4-8-1-3_65495_7)', 'Temporal patterns matching previous campaigns']
Motivation: ReconnaissancePotential Future ExploitationCredential Harvesting
Common Attack Types: The most common types of attacks the company has faced is Breach.
Identification of Attack Vectors: The company identifies the attack vectors used in incidents through Excel files and public SMB shares and /global-protect/login.esp URI.

Systems Affected: Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect VPN systemsPAN-OS management interfaces
Operational Impact: Increased risk of unauthorized accessPotential for follow-on attacks
Brand Reputation Impact: Potential erosion of trust in Palo Alto VPN security
Identity Theft Risk: ['High (if credentials are compromised)']

Location: North AmericaEuropeAsia

Entity Name: Palo Alto Networks
Entity Type: Technology Company
Industry: Cybersecurity
Location: Global (Primary targets: United States, Mexico, Pakistan)
Customers Affected: Millions of GlobalProtect VPN login portals targeted

Third Party Assistance: Greynoise (Threat Intelligence And Blocking Solutions).
Containment Measures: Upgrade to patched versions of PAN-OS/GlobalProtectRestrict management interface access to trusted internal IPsMonitor for anomalous login attempts from suspicious ASNs (AS200373, AS208885)Implement rate limiting on VPN authentication endpoints
Remediation Measures: Apply patches for CVE-2025-0108, CVE-2025-2183, CVE-2025-0141, CVE-2025-0140Block malicious IPs via GreyNoise Block solution
Enhanced Monitoring: Monitor for JA4t fingerprints: 65495_2-4-8-1-3_65495_7, 33280_2-4-8-1-3_65495_7
Third-Party Assistance: The company involves third-party assistance in incident response through GreyNoise (threat intelligence and blocking solutions), .
Prevention of Data Exfiltration: The company takes the following measures to prevent data exfiltration: Apply patches for CVE-2025-0108, CVE-2025-2183, CVE-2025-0141, CVE-2025-0140, Block malicious IPs via GreyNoise Block solution, .
Handling of PII Incidents: The company handles incidents involving personally identifiable information (PII) through by upgrade to patched versions of pan-os/globalprotect, restrict management interface access to trusted internal ips, monitor for anomalous login attempts from suspicious asns (as200373, as208885), implement rate limiting on vpn authentication endpoints and .

Regulatory Notifications: CISA KEV (for CVE-2025-0108)

Lessons Learned: Brute-force spikes against VPN systems (e.g., Fortinet) often precede vulnerability disclosures by ~6 weeks., Distributed hosting infrastructure (e.g., AS200373) can obfuscate threat actor origins., Consistent JA4t fingerprints can help attribute coordinated campaigns., Rate limiting and IP blocking are critical for mitigating brute-force attacks.

Recommendations: Immediately upgrade to patched versions of PAN-OS and GlobalProtect., Restrict VPN management interface access to trusted IPs., Monitor for anomalous traffic from AS200373 (3xK Tech GmbH, Germany) and AS208885 (Noyobzoda Faridduni Saidilhom)., Implement rate limiting on VPN authentication endpoints (/global-protect/login.esp)., Block malicious IPs using GreyNoise Block or similar solutions., Prepare for potential follow-on exploitation of undisclosed vulnerabilities.Immediately upgrade to patched versions of PAN-OS and GlobalProtect., Restrict VPN management interface access to trusted IPs., Monitor for anomalous traffic from AS200373 (3xK Tech GmbH, Germany) and AS208885 (Noyobzoda Faridduni Saidilhom)., Implement rate limiting on VPN authentication endpoints (/global-protect/login.esp)., Block malicious IPs using GreyNoise Block or similar solutions., Prepare for potential follow-on exploitation of undisclosed vulnerabilities.Immediately upgrade to patched versions of PAN-OS and GlobalProtect., Restrict VPN management interface access to trusted IPs., Monitor for anomalous traffic from AS200373 (3xK Tech GmbH, Germany) and AS208885 (Noyobzoda Faridduni Saidilhom)., Implement rate limiting on VPN authentication endpoints (/global-protect/login.esp)., Block malicious IPs using GreyNoise Block or similar solutions., Prepare for potential follow-on exploitation of undisclosed vulnerabilities.Immediately upgrade to patched versions of PAN-OS and GlobalProtect., Restrict VPN management interface access to trusted IPs., Monitor for anomalous traffic from AS200373 (3xK Tech GmbH, Germany) and AS208885 (Noyobzoda Faridduni Saidilhom)., Implement rate limiting on VPN authentication endpoints (/global-protect/login.esp)., Block malicious IPs using GreyNoise Block or similar solutions., Prepare for potential follow-on exploitation of undisclosed vulnerabilities.Immediately upgrade to patched versions of PAN-OS and GlobalProtect., Restrict VPN management interface access to trusted IPs., Monitor for anomalous traffic from AS200373 (3xK Tech GmbH, Germany) and AS208885 (Noyobzoda Faridduni Saidilhom)., Implement rate limiting on VPN authentication endpoints (/global-protect/login.esp)., Block malicious IPs using GreyNoise Block or similar solutions., Prepare for potential follow-on exploitation of undisclosed vulnerabilities.Immediately upgrade to patched versions of PAN-OS and GlobalProtect., Restrict VPN management interface access to trusted IPs., Monitor for anomalous traffic from AS200373 (3xK Tech GmbH, Germany) and AS208885 (Noyobzoda Faridduni Saidilhom)., Implement rate limiting on VPN authentication endpoints (/global-protect/login.esp)., Block malicious IPs using GreyNoise Block or similar solutions., Prepare for potential follow-on exploitation of undisclosed vulnerabilities.
Key Lessons Learned: The key lessons learned from past incidents are Brute-force spikes against VPN systems (e.g., Fortinet) often precede vulnerability disclosures by ~6 weeks.,Distributed hosting infrastructure (e.g., AS200373) can obfuscate threat actor origins.,Consistent JA4t fingerprints can help attribute coordinated campaigns.,Rate limiting and IP blocking are critical for mitigating brute-force attacks.

Source: Palo Alto Networks Unit 42

Source: GreyNoise Intelligence Report
Date Accessed: 2025-11-14
Additional Resources: Stakeholders can find additional resources on cybersecurity best practices at and Source: Palo Alto Networks Unit 42, and Source: GreyNoise Intelligence ReportDate Accessed: 2025-11-14.

Investigation Status: Ongoing (GreyNoise assessment)

Customer Advisories: Palo Alto Networks customers advised to patch systems and monitor for suspicious activity.
Advisories Provided: The company provides the following advisories to stakeholders and customers following an incident: were Palo Alto Networks Customers Advised To Patch Systems And Monitor For Suspicious Activity. and .

Entry Point: Excel files and public SMB shares

Entry Point: /Global-Protect/Login.Esp Uri,
Reconnaissance Period: Ongoing since mid-November 2025
High Value Targets: Enterprise Vpn Systems, Pan-Os Management Interfaces,
Data Sold on Dark Web: Enterprise Vpn Systems, Pan-Os Management Interfaces,

Root Causes: Unpatched Vulnerabilities In Globalprotect/Pan-Os (Cve-2025-0108, Etc.), Lack Of Rate Limiting On Authentication Endpoints, Exposure Of Vpn Login Portals To Untrusted Networks,
Corrective Actions: Patch Management For Vpn Systems, Network Segmentation For Vpn Infrastructure, Enhanced Monitoring For Brute-Force Patterns (E.G., Ja4T Fingerprints), Blocklist Management For Malicious Asns/Ips,
Post-Incident Analysis Process: The company's process for conducting post-incident analysis is described as Greynoise (Threat Intelligence And Blocking Solutions), , Monitor For Ja4T Fingerprints: 65495 2-4-8-1-3 65495 7, 33280 2-4-8-1-3 65495 7, .
Corrective Actions Taken: The company has taken the following corrective actions based on post-incident analysis: Patch Management For Vpn Systems, Network Segmentation For Vpn Infrastructure, Enhanced Monitoring For Brute-Force Patterns (E.G., Ja4T Fingerprints), Blocklist Management For Malicious Asns/Ips, .
Last Attacking Group: The attacking group in the last incident were an DarkGate, Attribution Confidence: High (assessed by GreyNoise)Tactics Techniques Procedures: ['Brute-force scanning', 'Distributed hosting infrastructure (AS200373, AS208885)', 'Consistent JA4t fingerprints (65495_2-4-8-1-3_65495_7, 33280_2-4-8-1-3_65495_7)' and 'Temporal patterns matching previous campaigns'].
Most Recent Incident Detected: The most recent incident detected was on 2025-11-14.
Most Recent Incident Publicly Disclosed: The most recent incident publicly disclosed was on 2025-11-14.
Most Significant System Affected: The most significant system affected in an incident was Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect VPN systemsPAN-OS management interfaces.
Third-Party Assistance in Most Recent Incident: The third-party assistance involved in the most recent incident was greynoise (threat intelligence and blocking solutions), .
Containment Measures in Most Recent Incident: The containment measures taken in the most recent incident were Upgrade to patched versions of PAN-OS/GlobalProtectRestrict management interface access to trusted internal IPsMonitor for anomalous login attempts from suspicious ASNs (AS200373 and AS208885)Implement rate limiting on VPN authentication endpoints.
Most Significant Lesson Learned: The most significant lesson learned from past incidents was Rate limiting and IP blocking are critical for mitigating brute-force attacks.
Most Significant Recommendation Implemented: The most significant recommendation implemented to improve cybersecurity was Implement rate limiting on VPN authentication endpoints (/global-protect/login.esp)., Monitor for anomalous traffic from AS200373 (3xK Tech GmbH, Germany) and AS208885 (Noyobzoda Faridduni Saidilhom)., Prepare for potential follow-on exploitation of undisclosed vulnerabilities., Immediately upgrade to patched versions of PAN-OS and GlobalProtect., Restrict VPN management interface access to trusted IPs. and Block malicious IPs using GreyNoise Block or similar solutions..
Most Recent Source: The most recent source of information about an incident are Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 and GreyNoise Intelligence Report.
Current Status of Most Recent Investigation: The current status of the most recent investigation is Ongoing (GreyNoise assessment).
Most Recent Customer Advisory: The most recent customer advisory issued was an Palo Alto Networks customers advised to patch systems and monitor for suspicious activity.
Most Recent Entry Point: The most recent entry point used by an initial access broker was an Excel files and public SMB shares.
Most Recent Reconnaissance Period: The most recent reconnaissance period for an incident was Ongoing since mid-November 2025.
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