Zscaler ThreatLabz 2025 VPN Risk Report: Over Half of Organizations Say Security and Compliance Risks Make VPNs Obsolete

Core Insights - The Zscaler ThreatLabz 2025 VPN Risk Report highlights the urgent need for organizations to transition from traditional VPNs to a Zero Trust security model due to the increasing vulnerabilities and risks associated with VPN usage [1][4][5] VPN Security Challenges - 56% of enterprises using VPNs cite maintaining security and compliance as their largest challenge [1] - 92% of IT professionals are concerned that unpatched VPN vulnerabilities will lead to ransomware attacks [1][4] - 54% of respondents identify security and compliance risks as the top challenges associated with VPNs [3] Shift to Zero Trust - 81% of organizations plan to implement a Zero Trust strategy within the next year, indicating a significant shift in security architecture [1][5][13] - The report emphasizes that traditional VPNs are inadequate for modern cyber threats, as they expose networks to potential attacks [2][12] Vulnerability Trends - VPN Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) increased by 82.5% from 2020 to 2024, with 60% of these vulnerabilities rated as high or critical [10] - Remote code execution (RCE) vulnerabilities are the most prevalent, posing serious risks to organizations [10] Concerns Over Third-Party Access - 93% of organizations express concerns about backdoor vulnerabilities from third-party VPN connections [7][11] - A notable incident involved a financial services company suffering a data breach due to VPN vulnerabilities, affecting nearly 20,000 clients [11] Recommendations for Organizations - Organizations are encouraged to adopt a Zero Trust framework to minimize attack surfaces, block threats, and enhance data security [13][14] - The report provides best practices for replacing VPN security risks with a robust Zero Trust architecture [14]