Scary, sophisticated malware found attacking Cisco routers

Security firm FireEye has discovered a malicious backdoor program called SYNful Knock that could let hackers use Cisco’s routers to deploy attacks on a broad scale.

The implant is the same size as the Cisco router image, and it’s loaded each time the router is restarted. The program supports up to 100 modules that can be tailored to the attacker’s needs.

So far, 79 devices in 19 countries have been identified, Ars Technica reports, including devices in the USA, Canada, the U.K., Germany, and China. Other affected countries include India, Mexico, the Philippines and Ukraine, where the program was first found in.