Russian state-sponsored hackers have focused hundreds of networking units related to U.S. essential infrastructure sectors over the previous 12 months, the FBI warned Wednesday.
The cyber actors are related to the Russian Federal Safety Service’s (FSB) Middle 16 and have taken purpose at a vulnerability in sure Cisco units, in response to an company public service announcement.
In some circumstances, hackers have been in a position to modify configuration information to allow unauthorized entry, which they’ve used to conduct reconnaissance on networks. This has “revealed their interest in protocols and applications commonly associated with industrial control systems,” the FBI stated.
Cisco’s menace intelligence analysis arm, Talos, defined in a separate advisory {that a} subcluster of this group, which it has named “Static Tundra,” is concentrating on a seven-year-old vulnerability within the firm’s Sensible Set up characteristic.
The agency has provided a patch for the vulnerability, but it surely stays an issue in unpatched and end-of-life community units, it warned.
“Once they establish initial access to a network device, Static Tundra will pivot further into the target environment, compromising additional network devices and establishing channels for long-term persistence and information gathering,” Talos famous.
The telecommunications, increased training and manufacturing sectors are major targets for the Russian hacking group. Talos urged Cisco prospects Wednesday to use the patch or disable the Sensible Set up characteristic.