Security News

The number of Cisco IOS XE devices hacked with a malicious backdoor implant has mysteriously plummeted from over 50,000 impacted devices to only a few hundred, with researchers unsure what is causing the sharp decline. This week, Cisco warned that hackers exploited two zero-day vulnerabilities, CVE-2023-20198 and CVE-2023-20273, to hack over 50,000 Cisco IOS XE devices to create privileged user accounts and install a malicious LUA backdoor implant.

Cisco disclosed a new high-severity zero-day today, actively exploited to deploy malicious implants on IOS XE devices compromised using the CVE-2023-20198 zero-day unveiled earlier this week. On Monday, Cisco disclosed that unauthenticated attackers have been exploiting the CVE-2023-20198 authentication bypass zero-day since at least September 18 to hack into IOS XE devices and create "Cisco tac admin" and "Cisco support."

More than 40,000 Cisco devices running the IOS XE operating system have been compromised after hackers exploited a recently disclosed maximum severity vulnerability tracked as CVE-2023-20198. Initial estimates of breached Cisco IOS XE devices were around 10,000 and the number started growing as security researchers scanned the internet for a more accurate figure.

Cisco Talos discovered a new critical zero-day vulnerability in the Web User Interface feature of Cisco IOS XE software that's currently being used in the wild. The vulnerability used to access the system and create those accounts is CVE-2023-20198; it received the highest Common Vulnerability Scoring System score of 10.

Attackers have exploited a recently disclosed critical zero-day bug to compromise and infect more than 10,000 Cisco IOS XE devices with malicious implants. According to threat intelligence company VulnCheck, the maximum severity vulnerability has been extensively exploited in attacks targeting Cisco IOS XE systems with the Web User Interface feature enabled, that also have the HTTP or HTTPS Server feature toggled on.

Attackers have exploited a recently disclosed critical zero-day bug to compromise and infect thousands of Cisco IOS XE devices with malicious implants. According to threat intelligence company VulnCheck, the maximum severity vulnerability has been extensively exploited in attacks targeting Cisco IOS XE routers and switches with the Web User Interface feature enabled, that also have the HTTP or HTTPS Server feature toggled on.

A previously unknown vulnerability affecting networking devices running Cisco IOS XE software is being exploited by a threat actor to take control of the devices and install an implant, Cisco Talos researchers have warned today. CVE-2023-20198 is a privilege escalation vulnerability in the web UI feature of Cisco IOS XE software, which is installed on various Cisco controllers, switches, edge, branch and virtual routers.

Cisco warned admins today of a new and maximum severity zero-day vulnerability in its IOS XE Software that can let attackers gain full administrator privileges and take complete control of affected routers. "Cisco has identified active exploitation of a previously unknown vulnerability in the Web User Interface feature of Cisco IOS XE software when exposed to the internet or untrusted networks," the company revealed today.

Apple has published security updates for older iPhones and iPads to backport patches released one week ago, addressing two zero-day vulnerabilities exploited in attacks. The first zero-day is a privilege escalation vulnerability caused by a weakness in the XNU kernel that can let local attackers elevate privileges on vulnerable iPhones and iPads.

An ad fraud botnet dubbed PEACHPIT leveraged an army of hundreds of thousands of Android and iOS devices to generate illicit profits for the threat actors behind the scheme. The botnet is part of...