The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a stark warning to the public, private sector, and international partners regarding persistent cyber threats from actors affiliated with the Russian Federal Security Service’s (FSB) Center 16.
This unit, recognized in cybersecurity circles under monikers such as “Berserk Bear” and “Dragonfly,” has been actively exploiting vulnerabilities in network infrastructure, particularly focusing on Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and unpatched flaws in end-of-life Cisco devices.
A key vulnerability highlighted is CVE-2018-0171, which affects Cisco Smart Install (SMI) functionality, enabling unauthorized access and manipulation of device configurations.
Over the past year, FBI investigations have uncovered these actors harvesting configuration files from thousands of networking devices linked to U.S. entities across critical infrastructure sectors, including energy, transportation, and utilities.
Exploitation of Legacy Vulnerabilities
In several instances, the intruders altered these configurations to facilitate persistent unauthorized access, allowing them to perform detailed reconnaissance within victim networks.
This reconnaissance has shown a particular interest in protocols and applications integral to industrial control systems (ICS), such as those used in operational technology (OT) environments, potentially laying the groundwork for more disruptive activities like data exfiltration or sabotage.
The FSB Center 16’s operations extend back over a decade, with a consistent pattern of targeting global networking devices that support legacy, unencrypted protocols including SNMP versions 1 and 2, as well as SMI.
These actors have demonstrated sophisticated capabilities, including the deployment of custom malware implants.
A notable example is the “SYNful Knock” malware, publicly disclosed in 2015, which was embedded directly into Cisco router firmware to maintain long-term persistence and enable command-and-control communications.
Such tactics exploit the inherent weaknesses of outdated hardware and software, where end-of-life status often means a lack of security updates, leaving devices exposed to remote code execution and configuration tampering.
The FBI’s detection efforts reveal that these cyber operations are not isolated but part of a broader campaign aimed at reconnaissance and potential escalation against critical infrastructure, aligning with known Russian state-sponsored tactics that prioritize stealth and strategic positioning within adversarial networks.
Historical Context
This activity clusters under related threat groups, with Cisco Talos recently identifying it as “Static Tundra” in an August 20, 2025, blog post detailing their forensic analysis of the intrusion techniques.
The FBI emphasizes that prior guidance remains highly relevant, including the 2018 Technical Alert on Russian state-sponsored actors targeting network infrastructure devices and the May 6, 2025, Joint Advisory outlining primary mitigations for reducing cyber threats to operational technology.
These resources advocate for immediate patching of known vulnerabilities like CVE-2018-0171, disabling unnecessary legacy protocols, and implementing network segmentation to isolate ICS environments from broader IT networks.
According to the report, Organizations are urged to monitor for indicators of compromise, such as unexpected SNMP traffic or unauthorized configuration changes, and to upgrade end-of-life devices to supported models with modern encryption standards.
In the event of suspected compromise by FSB-linked actors, the FBI recommends prompt reporting to local field offices or via the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
Prior to submission, victims should thoroughly assess routers and networking equipment for anomalies, including malware implants or altered configurations, and include these technical details in reports to aid investigations.
This proactive stance is crucial for disrupting the actors’ reconnaissance efforts and safeguarding critical infrastructure from escalating threats.
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