Legacy Cisco Vulnerability Exploited by Russian Hacking Squad Static Tundra
Russian Cyber Espionage Group Static Tundra Targets Unpatched Cisco Devices
A Russian state-sponsored cyber espionage group, Static Tundra, has been exploiting a seven-year-old vulnerability in Cisco network devices, according to recent reports. The group, attributed to the Russian Federal Security Service's (FSB) Center 16, has been active for over a decade and is known for its stealthy and persistent operations.
The vulnerability, CVE-2018-0171, affects end-of-life Cisco devices and has been left unpatched by some users. This flaw, found in the Smart Install feature of Cisco IOS software and Cisco IOS XE software, could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to trigger a reload of an affected device, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition, or to execute arbitrary code on an affected device.
Static Tundra utilizes bespoke tooling to achieve these objectives. Among their tools is a bespoke tool that allows them to automate the exploitation of CVE-2018-0171. The group's primary operational objectives are to compromise network devices to gather sensitive device configuration information and to establish persistent access to network environments for long-term espionage.
Since 2015, Static Tundra has compromised networking devices globally, particularly devices accepting legacy unencrypted protocols like SMI and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) versions one and two. Victims are typically selected based on their strategic interest to the Russian government, with some victims also based in Ukraine, where the Russia-Ukraine war has escalated Static Tundra's operations.
The group has deployed custom tools to certain Cisco devices, such as the malware publicly identified as SYNful Knock in 2015. Cisco assesses that the primary targets of Static Tundra include organizations in the telecommunications, higher education, and manufacturing sectors across North America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.
The FBI and Cisco Talos issued warnings about this campaign on August 20, 2025. The FBI has observed Static Tundra collecting configuration files on thousands of networking devices associated with US entities across critical infrastructure sectors. Static Tundra is likely a subgroup of Energetic Bear/Berserk Bear/Dragonfly.
Customers have been urged to apply the patch for CVE-2018-0171 or to disable Smart Install if patching is not an option. It is crucial for network administrators to prioritize the security of their devices, especially in light of the escalating cyber threats posed by groups like Static Tundra.
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