Cisco has warned customers that hackers have been using stolen administrator credentials to install malicious software on networking devices running IOS.
IOS is the operating system that runs on most Cisco routers and switches. When these devices are powered on or rebooted, the hardware is initialized and the IOS software is booted by a bootstrap program called ROM Monitor (ROMMON).
According to an advisory published by the company, attackers are replacing the legitimate ROMMON firmware with a malicious ROMMON image. Once the device is rebooted with the new ROMMON, attackers are able to manipulate its behavior.
“In all cases seen by Cisco, attackers accessed the devices using valid administrative credentials and then used the ROMMON field upgrade process to install a malicious ROMMON,” Cisco said in its advisory.
By installing a malicious image, attackers can ensure that they have control over the device even after a reboot. Cisco said it’s aware of a limited number of such attacks.
The company has pointed out that the ability to install a new ROMMON image on an IOS device is a standard, documented feature. Malicious actors can abuse this feature by stealing administrator credentials or by gaining physical access to the targeted device.
Since the attacks observed by Cisco don’t involve any vulnerabilities, no CVE identifier has been assigned.
Cisco advises customers to read available documentation on protecting IOS devices against cyber threats.
Related Reading: Cisco Fixes DoS Vulnerabilities in IOS Software
Related Reading: Cisco Fixes DoS Vulnerability Affecting Carrier Routing Systems
Related Reading: Cisco Fixes DoS Vulnerabilities in IOS Software
Eduard Kovacs (@EduardKovacs) is a contributing editor at SecurityWeek. He worked as a high school IT teacher for two years before starting a career in journalism as Softpedia’s security news reporter. Eduard holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial informatics and a master’s degree in computer techniques applied in electrical engineering.
More from Eduard Kovacs
- Intel Boasts Attack Surface Reduction With New 13th Gen Core vPro Platform
- Dole Says Employee Information Compromised in Ransomware Attack
- High-Severity Vulnerabilities Found in WellinTech Industrial Data Historian
- CISA Expands Cybersecurity Committee, Updates Baseline Security Goals
- Exploitation of 55 Zero-Day Vulnerabilities Came to Light in 2022: Mandiant
- Organizations Notified of Remotely Exploitable Vulnerabilities in Aveva HMI, SCADA Products
- Waterfall Security, TXOne Networks Launch New OT Security Appliances
- Hitachi Energy Blames Data Breach on Zero-Day as Ransomware Gang Threatens Firm
Latest News
- Intel Co-founder, Philanthropist Gordon Moore Dies at 94
- Google Leads $16 Million Investment in Dope.security
- US Charges 20-Year-Old Head of Hacker Site BreachForums
- Tesla Hacked Twice at Pwn2Own Exploit Contest
- CISA Ships ‘Untitled Goose Tool’ to Hunt for Microsoft Azure Cloud Infections
- Critical WooCommerce Payments Vulnerability Leads to Site Takeover
- PoC Exploit Published for Just-Patched Veeam Data Backup Solution Flaw
- CISA Gets Proactive With New Pre-Ransomware Alerts
