FBI warns of cyber actors exploiting end-of-life routers

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center released an alert May 7 warning of cyber actors exploiting vulnerabilities in end-of-life routers. Routers dated 2010 or earlier are likely no longer receiving software updates from manufacturers and could be compromised, the agency said. The FBI received reports of obsolete routers being breached by individuals using variants of TheMoon malware. Some of them, with remote administration turned on, were identified as compromised by a new variant of the malware that allows cyber actors to install proxies and conduct cybercrimes anonymously.

TheMoon does not require a password to infect these routers. It scans for open ports and sends a command to a vulnerable script.

“This is a good example of the expanding attack surface and additional threats introduced by third-party technology,” said Scott Gee, AHA deputy national advisor for cybersecurity and risk. “Home routers need to be maintained just like other devices, but they are often overlooked. Hospital IT teams need to pay particular attention to remote workers connecting to their networks from home. This is also a good opportunity to remind remote staff to make sure their home equipment is up to date and patched as they connect to hospital networks.”

The FBI also provided a series of tips for users to protect against threats.

For more information on this or other cyber and risk issues, contact Gee at sgee@aha.org. For the latest cyber and risk resources and threat intelligence, visit aha.org/cybersecurity.