SYNful Knock is a stealthy modification of the router's firmware image that can be used to maintain persistence within a victim's network. It is customizable and modular in nature and thus can be updated once implanted. Even the presence of the backdoor can be difficult to detect as it uses non-standard packets as a form of pseudo-authentication.

The initial infection vector does not appear to leverage a zero-day vulnerability. It is believed that the credentials are either default or discovered by the attacker in order to install the backdoor. However, the router's position in the network makes it an ideal target for re-entry or further infection. Read this Whitepaper to learn more.

Protecting against advanced cyber-attacks requires, among other things, that you meet the same level of sophistication as your attackers. Unfortunately, most current security technologies fail to meet that bar, resulting in organizations being breached when they thought they were protected.

A resulting breach can be devastating, leading most organizations to re-evaluate their security program. Critically evaluating your security program in its entirety and looking for the areas it can be improved is a daunting task.

It’s not a question of if your organization will be breached. It’s a question of when.

Most attackers remain active in environments for a significant amount of time before being discovered. And only a small percentage of organizations discover the presence of advanced attackers themselves—most need to be informed by law enforcement or a proactive third-party security firm. By then, an attacker could do a great deal of damage.

A compromise assessment answers the all-important question: Have you been breached?

Mandiant’s annual threat report reveals key insights, statistics and case studies illustrating how the tools and tactics of advanced persistent threat (APT) actors have evolved over the last year. The report, compiled from hundreds of Mandiant incident response investigations in more than 30 industry sectors, also includes approaches that organizations can take to improve the way they detect, respond to, and contain advanced attacks.

In spite of the best efforts of the cyber security industry to protect computer networks, breaches still happen, causing millions of dollars in damage, tainting the reputation of corporations, and causing end users to lose confidence in the security of their personal information. Given that new reality, it’s not enough for organizations to try to protect their networks from a breach, but to have an effective response plan in place for when a breach occurs anyway.

Today, companies need to conduct a comprehensive response readiness assessment that lays out what steps to take in the event of a breach in order to minimize the damage and recover from the intrusion as quickly as possible.

Physical conflicts increasingly have a cyber element to them. This report highlights how Syrian opposition forces fell victim to a well-executed hacking operation targeting secret communications and plans.

FireEye researchers uncovered these stolen documents as part of our ongoing threat research. Between at least November 2013 and January 2014, the hackers stole a cache of critical documents and Skype conversations revealing the Syrian opposition’s strategy, tactical battle plans, supply needs, and troves of personal information and chat sessions belonging to the men fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces. While we do not know who conducted this hacking operation, if this data was acquired by Assad’s forces or their allies it could confer a distinct battlefield advantage.

Having some of the world’s most active economies, Asia Pacific countries are more likely to be a target of targeted attacks than the rest of the world. In “Operation Quantum Entanglement”, “Pacific Ring of Fire: PlugX / Kaba” and other FireEye reports, we have highlighted how Northeast Asian countries have been at the centre of advanced attacks. Today, we release a new report “APT 30 and the Mechanics of a Long-Running Cyber Espionage Operation,” which documents about a threat group, APT 30, who has consistently targeted Southeast Asia and India over the past decade.

Protecting against advanced cyber-attacks requires, among other things, that you meet the same level of sophistication as your attackers. Unfortunately, most current security technologies fail to meet that bar, resulting in organizations being breached when they thought they were protected.

A resulting breach can be devastating, leading most organizations to re-evaluate their security program. Critically evaluating your security program in its entirety and looking for the areas it can be improved is a daunting task.

"In spite of the best efforts of the cyber security industry to protect computer networks, breaches still happen, causing millions of dollars in damage, tainting the reputation of corporations, and causing end users to lose confidence in the security of their personal information. Given that new reality, it’s not enough for organizations to try to protect their networks from a breach, but to have an effective response plan in place for when a breach occurs anyway.

Today, companies need to conduct a comprehensive response readiness assessment that lays out what steps to take in the event of a breach in order to minimize the damage and recover from the intrusion as quickly as possible."

It’s not a question of if your organization will be breached. It’s a question of when.

Most attackers remain active in environments for a significant amount of time before being discovered. And only a small percentage of organizations discover the presence of advanced attackers themselves—most need to be informed by law enforcement or a proactive third-party security firm. By then, an attacker could do a great deal of damage.

A compromise assessment answers the all-important question: Have you been breached?

Recent high-profile security breaches, underscore how destructive a breach can be to an organization's reputation and financial stability.
Many of these headline-grabbing targeted attacks are based on monetary profit, political gain, or data theft, and are a result of an active, persistent pursuit with the intent to compromise the target’s infrastructure.
When customer data is stolen, the damage to an organization can be swift – and costly. With awareness of cyber security risks at all-time highs, investments are pouring into security technologies.
But how do you know if you are investing in the right set of security tools and threat intelligence?

Today's security defenses are failing because, in the battle against cybercrime, security teams are using an outdated arsenal. They rely too heavily on legacy platforms that leverage technology dependent upon signatures—and while these platforms may be good at blocking basic malware that is known and documented, they stand little chance against today's sophisticated, dynamic cyber attacks that occur across multiple vectors and stages.

In this guide for CIOs, CFOs, and CISOs, FireEye provides insight into the cyber security problem facing enterprises and government agencies today.