Cisco eyes to strike a deal with Chinese startup Inspur Group Co. (Photo : Reuters)
A new report coming from a security research group reveals that the recent Cisco malware infestation is worse than originally anticipated.
Hackers have managed to install malicious software into 200 Cisco routers used by companies spanning all over the world. The infestation affected businesses in more than 30 countries.
Hackers used a malware called SYNfull Knock in order to exploit Cisco routers. The malware poses significant security risks since it allow hackers to remotely hijack the affected device and steal or direct Internet traffic into their servers.
The vulnerability was discovered by security firm FireEye. The initial discovery reported the infestation only affected 14 Cisco routers used by companies from Mexico, India, Ukraine and the Philippines. The latest report from Shadowserver Foundation shows that routers from 31 countries were affected with a total of 65 devices located in the United States.
According to Fortune, US is the main target of the attack. India followed with 12 affected routers and Russia is third with 11 affected routers.
Reports did not list which companies were affected. Additionally, no international company reported that there computer system was attacked.
Cisco is currently working with Shadowserver in order to suppress and fix the malware infestation. Both companies are still on the process of assessing the exact international severity of the problem.
Cisco principal for product security Omar Santos said in a statement, "We believe this activity supports Cisco efforts that are already underway to identify and alert customers to potential exposure."
When news broke out about the SYNfull Knock malware, it was initially thought it only affected older models of Cisco routers. Cisco released a full list of affected devices and provided ways how to counter the attack.
FireEye CEO Dave DeWalt recently told Reuters that the attack was so sophisticated that only "a handful of nation-state actors" have the capability and technology to pull it off.
