Down Under Cyber Blunder: Australia’s Cisco Routers Under Siege by BadCandy
The Australian government warns of cyberattacks using the BadCandy webshell on unpatched Cisco IOS XE devices. Exploiting vulnerability CVE-2023-20198, attackers create local admin users and wreak havoc. Despite Cisco’s patch, devices remain compromised. It’s like a game of whack-a-mole, but with routers—and the moles are hackers with a sweet tooth.
Hot Take:
Oh, Australia, land of kangaroos, koalas, and now, killer cyberattacks. It seems your routers are as unpatched as a pair of ripped jeans in the 90s, giving cybercriminals a free pass to crash your internet party. Maybe it’s time to tell those routers “no more Mr. Nice Guy” and give them the security patch they deserve. Because if not, it’s just going to be an endless loop of whack-a-mole with BadCandy popping up like a bad penny!
Key Points:
- Australian government warns about cyberattacks on unpatched Cisco IOS XE devices using the BadCandy webshell.
- The exploit leverages CVE-2023-20198, allowing attackers to gain admin access and take over devices.
- Despite Cisco’s patch in October 2023, many devices remain unpatched, leading to ongoing threats throughout 2024 and 2025.
- BadCandy webshell, once installed, allows root command execution but is erased upon reboot, facilitating re-exploitation.
- State actors like China’s Salt Typhoon are suspected to be behind the attacks, targeting global telecommunications providers.