Cisco IOS Zero-Day Vulnerability Actively Exploited in Cyber Attacks – Security Warning Issued

Cisco has notified all concerning a critical security flaw in its ISO and IOS XE software. Cyber criminals are already aware of the situation and using it in attacks. Scary right? When I heard this, I thought, "Wow, there might already be so many routers and switches at risk!"

So, what is the problem?​

The security flaw allows cyber criminals to make unauthorized access to Cisco devices from remote distances. Once accessed, hackers can execute commands like they are the owner of the device. To put it plainly - can take control of your device and potentially your entire network.

Have you ever thought how much data traverses through your router every second? Now, imagine a hacker hijacking all that data. Not good.

What devices are affected?​

Cisco has not provided all of the detail yet (to prevent misuse by hackers), but here is what we know:

• Devices running Cisco IOS or IOS XE are at risk.
• The attack is remote, and hackers do not have to physically interact with the affected device.
• Hackers can run arbitrary commands which could be very damaging.

Cisco doesn't have a fix yet but have provided a set of interim risk mitigation rules.

How to safeguard your devices​

Cisco's recommendations include:

• Complete an analysis of your logs and traffic.
• Disable unnecessary services to minimize risk.
• Use access control lists (ACL) to restrict users to only trusted users.

Monitor Cisco's official updates regarding the issue; patches will be announced once they become available.

I’ve received these mobile alerts late at night, and let me tell you, you don’t want those alerts. Starting these steps now will help you avoid issues in the future.

Why this is important​

You might be thinking, “Are zero-day events actually common?” Yes, but the reason this is a substantial zero-day event is that Cisco equipment is the backbone of the internet. Although this event could hurt a certain company, the reality is that this type of compromise to accessing devices could hurt thousands of devices.

Think about the alternative, what if your Wi-Fi router goes down at your house? You say, “That’s annoying.” But when thousands of businesses go offline? That’s an entirely different and catastrophic outcome.

Conclusion​

So here is the big takeaway. Cisco has a serious zero-day problem, and that already comes with a risk associated with it. Until an official patch is available, we have to monitor affected systems and try the potential workaround. Security is a cat and mouse game, and as the organization that is required to defend systems and data, it is not an option to just engage, it requires you to always be ahead of the game.