Russian state-sponsored hackers are actively exploiting a seven-year-old Cisco vulnerability—CVE-2018-0171—and turning forgotten infrastructure into surveillance tools. On this episode of IT SPARC Cast – CVE of the Week, John Barger and Lou Schmidt break down how outdated Cisco hardware is being targeted through the Smart Install feature and how the FSB-linked group “Berserk Bear” is using them to extract credentials and embed persistent access.
You’ll learn:
•Why legacy hardware in manufacturing, education, and telecom is at risk
•How attackers are using configuration harvesting for long-term access
•What “Cisco zombies” really means—and why it’s the wrong term
•Practical steps for discovery, mitigation, and infrastructure hygiene
From drop-ceiling surprises to international espionage, this episode is a must-listen for every IT leader responsible for aging infrastructure. Patch early. Patch often. And for the love of security, don’t feed the hackers.
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📢 Wrap Up & Social Links
Got a similar story? Or maybe you’ve walked into a nightmare network too? Share it with us:
📩 feedback@itsparccast.com
💬 @ITSPARCCast on X
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Follow the hosts:
👤 John Barger
X: @john_Video
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarger/
👤 Lou Schmidt
X: @loudoggeek
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-schmidt-b102446/
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