HACKERS EXPLOIT CISCO SNMP FLAW TO DEPLOY ROOTKIT ON SWITCHES

Summary from the TLDR InfoSec newsletter

Researchers at Trend Micro uncovered a malware campaign that exploits a recently patched remote code execution vulnerability in older Cisco IOS and IOS XE devices to install a Linux rootkit. This flaw leverages the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and permits attackers with root privileges to execute arbitrary code, bypassing security controls such as Cisco's Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) framework and Virtual Teletype (VTY) access control lists. Once active, the rootkit conceals running configurations, manipulates logs, and resets timestamps to evade detection, thereby gaining persistent control over affected devices.