highCyber Attacks
Chinese State-Sponsored Hackers Exploit Cisco IOS XR Routers for Hidden GRE Tunnels
Researchers have identified a new tactic by the Chinese state-sponsored threat actor tracked as Fire Ant, exploiting Cisco IOS XR routers to create hidden Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE) tunnel interfaces. These tunnels provide persistent remote access and espionage capabilities without appearing in the router's running configuration or commit history, evading standard detection methods. The activity was reported by BleepingComputer on August 31, 2026.
BleepingComputer1 min read
