When Cybersecurity Gets Comedic: How CISA’s ‘Friendly’ Hackers Taught an Org a Lesson in Network Defense
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) played cyber cat burglar, breaking into a critical infrastructure organization’s network to teach it a hard lesson in security. Using an unpatched vulnerability, CISA’s red team infiltrated, roamed freely, and found loads of sensitive info, all with permission. Lesson: patch those bugs and train your staff.
Hot Take:
When your cybersecurity team hands you a report card, make sure you’re not just ‘C-ing’ the red flags! The CISA’s recent exercise is a hilarious (and slightly terrifying) reminder that leaving vulnerabilities unpatched is like leaving your house key under the doormat—convenient for you, but also for everyone else who might want to drop by uninvited!
Key Points:
- CISA conducted a three-month long red team exercise on a critical infrastructure provider’s network.
- The team exploited an unpatched XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability to gain access.
- They discovered overly permissive access controls, allowing commands to be run as root.
- Persistent access was established across multiple servers, including a Windows domain controller.
- The exercise highlighted the need for better network protections and staff training.
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