🕵️♂️ A Silent Invasion Unfolds
In a chilling reminder of the vulnerabilities lurking in everyday technology, cybersecurity researchers have uncovered a massive global hacking campaign that has compromised more than 5,000 routers across 84 countries.
The attack, orchestrated by a threat actor known as ViciousTrap, has turned these devices into silent observers—part of a sprawling honeypot network designed to intercept and manipulate internet traffic.
🔓 The Exploited Weakness
At the heart of the breach lies a critical vulnerability—CVE-2023-20118—affecting several models of Cisco Small Business routers, including RV016, RV042, RV042G, RV082, RV320, and RV325.
These routers, many of which are no longer supported by the manufacturer, were left exposed due to outdated firmware and unpatched security flaws. The attackers exploited this weakness to install malicious scripts that reroute traffic and allow remote command execution.
🌐 A Global Web of Compromise
The scale of the attack is staggering. From Macau to Mexico, from Italy to Indonesia, thousands of routers have been hijacked and repurposed as nodes in a global surveillance and exploitation network.
The majority of infections were detected in East Asia, but no region has been spared. The compromised devices are now being used to monitor traffic, collect data, and potentially harvest zero-day vulnerabilities used by other hackers.
🧠 The Honeypot Strategy
Unlike traditional botnets that flood networks with malicious traffic, this campaign is more insidious. The attackers have created a honeypot infrastructure—essentially a trap designed to lure in other hackers.
By redirecting traffic through these compromised routers, ViciousTrap can observe exploitation attempts, gather intelligence on new attack methods, and even reuse access gained by rival cybercriminals. It’s a digital espionage operation hiding in plain sight.
🛠 The NetGhost Payload
The infection chain involves a shell script dubbed NetGhost, which reroutes incoming traffic from specific ports to attacker-controlled servers. This allows the hackers to perform adversary-in-the-middle (AitM) attacks, intercepting sensitive data without the user’s knowledge.
The script is also designed to self-delete, erasing traces of its presence and making forensic analysis difficult.
📉 No Fix in Sight for Legacy Devices
Cisco has confirmed that it will not release security updates for the affected router models, as they are considered end-of-life. This leaves thousands of users—particularly small businesses and home offices—exposed unless they replace their hardware.
Cybersecurity experts strongly recommend upgrading to modern, supported devices and disabling remote management features to reduce risk.
🔐 How to Protect Yourself
If you’re using one of the affected router models, take immediate action:
- Replace the device with a newer, supported model.
- Disable remote access and UPnP features.
- Regularly update firmware and change default passwords.
- Monitor network traffic for unusual activity.
🌍 A Wake-Up Call for the Connected World
This incident underscores a growing truth: the internet of things is only as secure as its weakest link. As more devices become connected, the attack surface expands—and so does the opportunity for exploitation.
The ViciousTrap campaign is a stark reminder that cybersecurity is not just a corporate concern, but a personal responsibility.
In a world where routers can be weaponized and traffic can be silently rerouted, vigilance is no longer optional. It’s essential.