Is It Time to Retire VPNs?
Network World, Monday, October 26th, 2026
Zeus Kerravala argues relentless VPN exploits and AI-speed vulnerability discovery make it time to retire VPNs in favor of zero trust.
Ransomware groups exploited a GlobalProtect authentication bypass four days after disclosure, and similar flaws have hit Ivanti, WatchGuard, Citrix and SonicWall, with CISA flagging 36 exploited Ivanti bugs since 2021.
AI models are now finding thousands of zero-days, which the author expects to shrink the disclosure-to-exploit window to hours.
He calls VPN exposure an architectural limit, since gateways face the internet and breaches grant broad network access, a risk magnified by AI agents.
He recommends inventorying internet-facing access points, moving contractors, admins and crown-jewel apps to zero trust first, treating agents as least-privilege identities and setting a VPN retirement date.