Cisco Systems has reported that some of its security devices were compromised by hackers, leading to unauthorised access to multiple government networks worldwide.
The company revealed in a recent blog post that vulnerabilities in its Adaptive Security Appliances, which integrate various digital defense mechanisms, were exploited by a sophisticated group dubbed "UAT4356," suspected to be a state-sponsored entity.
The tech giant's investigation unveiled that the breaches, dating back to earlier this year, have since been addressed with patches now available for affected devices. Cisco has urged its customers to update their software immediately to protect against any potential threats.
The disclosure comes at a time when cybersecurity concerns involving hardware at the network perimeter, like routers and other edge devices, are escalating. These devices are particularly vulnerable because they serve as the gateway to networks, making them ideal targets for sophisticated cyberattacks.
Cisco also warned that UAT4356 might have shown interest in targeting similar network devices from other vendors, including Microsoft. However, there has been no immediate comment from Microsoft regarding this matter. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has acknowledged the situation but noted that it has not yet confirmed evidence of these activities affecting US government networks. CISA has issued an alert concerning the vulnerabilities discovered by Cisco.
