Beijing [China] September 27 The United States cybersecurity agency, "Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency" (CISA) has issued an urgent directive requiring all federal agencies to detect and fix system weaknesses after uncovering a major hacking campaign that exploits zero-day vulnerabilities, as reported by The Epoch Times.
According to The Epoch Times, CISA said the operation represents a "serious threat" to government networks since the flaws remain active even after reboots and system upgrades. Zero-day vulnerabilities refer to previously unknown gaps in software, firmware, or hardware that cybercriminals can exploit immediately before developers provide a security patch.
Cisco, a key player in the investigation, confirmed that the campaign is linked to the advanced threat actor known as ArcaneDoor. The company revealed that several government agencies had contacted it as early as May to help probe attacks on Cisco ASA devices. Cisco said it has "high confidence" in its findings and strongly urged customers to update to fixed software releases to halt the attackers' methods.
Evidence also suggests possible Chinese involvement. Cybersecurity firm Censys reported in May that ArcaneDoor's infrastructure was traced largely to Chinese networks.
Four out of five IP addresses linked to the group were hosted in China, some connected to major players like Tencent and the telecom provider ChinaNet. Censys stated that such vast and resourceful networks would be a logical infrastructure for a global cyber operation; the links to Chinese entities raise questions about potential state support, as highlighted by The Epoch Times.
The directive was announced the same day CISA's acting deputy executive assistant director for cyber, Chris Butera, spoke at a FedScoop panel on the growing challenge of patching vulnerabilities. Butera explained that more than 40,000 vulnerabilities were published last year alone, making it nearly impossible for organisations to keep pace. He emphasised the role of automation and artificial intelligence in handling these threats. Butera added that federal agencies have made progress, patching more than 99 per cent of the internet-facing vulnerabilities listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue, as reported by The Epoch Times.
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