Post by National Security Agency

NSA and partners released a new joint Cybersecurity Advisory “Improve Router Hygiene to Protect Against Russian State-Sponsored Targeting.” The advisory warns that Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Center 16 cyber actors continue to exploit vulnerable, poorly configured networks worldwide, specifically targeting critical infrastructure sectors, including: - Defense Industrial Base - Energy - Financial Services - Healthcare - Government Facilities - Communications Basic router hygiene is one of the most effective ways to deter Russian state-sponsored actors. To protect your organization, we urge network defenders to prioritize these mitigations: - Implement Simple Network Management Protocol v3 (SNMPv3) - Use strong, unique passwords - Disable Cisco Smart Install - Block the Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP), Smart Install (SMI), and SNMP protocols at the firewall - Upgrade software and firmware images to patch vulnerabilities Building on a previous Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) alert, this guidance addresses a decade-long pattern of Russian FSB Center 16 cyber activity and provides tactics, techniques, and procedures to counter this ongoing threat. #cybersecurityadvisory #cybersecurity #NSA #criticalinfrastructure #networksecurity