Salt Typhoon's Exploitation of Cisco Vulnerabilities: Another Wake-Up Call for Cybersecurity Leaders

State-sponsored cyber threats are evolving—are your defenses keeping up?

In a recent article by Dark Reading (source), Cisco Talos researchers have confirmed that the Chinese state-sponsored APT group Salt Typhoon has been actively exploiting Cisco vulnerabilities to infiltrate telecommunications networks. These attacks, which leverage known vulnerabilities and stolen credentials, have allowed Salt Typhoon to maintain access to compromised networks for over three years in some cases—a staggering timeline that underscores the failure of traditional security tools to detect and contain long-dwelling threats.

This multi-layered attack strategy highlights the growing challenge security teams face in identifying and mitigating cyber threats before they cause irreparable damage. Without early detection and a Defense in Depth (DID) approach, organizations are left vulnerable to prolonged, undetected intrusions—and the financial and reputational fallout that follows.

Salt Typhoon's Exploitation of Cisco Vulnerabilities

What Happened?

According to Cisco Talos researchers, as reported by Dark Reading, Salt Typhoon has been leveraging:

Cisco Vulnerability CVE-2018-0171 – A flaw that, if unpatched, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code and gain unauthorized access to network infrastructure.

Credential Theft & Reuse – Attackers are leveraging stolen login credentials to bypass traditional authentication mechanisms and maintain persistent

Long-Term Persistence – Some intrusions have lasted over three years, demonstrating that current detection methods are failing.

What’s particularly alarming is that these attacks don’t require highly sophisticated malware instead, they exploit overlooked security gaps in network infrastructure and human error.

This attack exposes a painful truth: Organizations relying solely on legacy SIEMs, firewalls, and endpoint security tools are dangerously unprepared for modern, state-sponsored threats.

Why This Matters: The Hidden Costs of a Breach

Cyberattacks are no longer just about stolen data—they cripple businesses, erode customer trust, and create lasting financial damage.

The Overlooked Cost: Postage for Breach Notification Letters

Under federal law, companies are required to send notification letters to individuals whose personal data has been compromised. Many organizations fail to account for this massive, mandatory expense.

The cost of First-Class Mail is $0.73 per letter. Let’s calculate this for a real-world breach:

The Names have been altered to protect the compromised

Breach Health Plan in the US (H1 2024)

Records exposed: 13,400,000

Postage cost per letter: $0.73

TOTAL POSTAGE COST: $9,782,000—JUST TO MAIL NOTIFICATIONS!

And this is before factoring in legal fees, fines, incident response costs, and reputational damage.

Reality Check: Wouldn't it be more cost-effective to stop the attack before it materializes, or in the ABBI Phase (after breach but before impact)

How GuardTower Stops Attacks in the ABBI Phase (After Breach, Before Impact)

Most security teams detect breaches too late, leaving attackers months or even years to operate undisturbed. The average Mean Time to Identify (MTTI) a breach is 271 days—Salt Typhoon has exploited that window for over three years in some cases.

GuardTower shrinks MTTI from 271 days to just weeks or days by focusing on the ABBI (After Breach, Before Impact) phase of an attack.

✔ AI-Powered Detection – Identifies behavioral anomalies and insider threats before they escalate.

✔ Digital Twin Technology – Simulates attack scenarios in real-time, detecting malicious activity early.

✔ Proactive Threat Containment – Eliminates threats before exfiltration, operational disruption, or ransomware deployment.

With Salt Typhoon maintaining access for over three years, organizations can no longer afford slow, reactive security strategies.

Lessons from the Competitive Landscape: Why Cyber Leaders Must Act Now

Salt Typhoon is just one example of a state-sponsored cyberattack. Other high-profile, long-dwelling cyber threats include:

🔴 Microsoft Exchange Zero-Day Attacks – Exploited vulnerabilities in corporate email servers for months before discovery.

🔴 SolarWinds Supply Chain Attack – Attackers compromised thousands of organizations worldwide using backdoored software updates.

🔴 Equifax Data Breach – An unpatched vulnerability led to the exposure of 147 million records, costing Equifax over $700 million in fines and settlements.

Lesson for Security Leaders: A Defense in Depth (DID) strategy is essential—organizations relying on firewalls and reactive security tools will continue losing the cyber war.

Cybercriminals are moving faster than ever. Are you ready?

✅ Visit Mirai Systems to learn how GuardTower prevents state-sponsored cyber threats.

✅ Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest cybersecurity insights and real-world case studies.

✅ Schedule a Demo Today to see how GuardTower closes the gap in the ABBI phase—before attackers cause real damage.

The time to act is now. Take control of your cybersecurity before cybercriminals do it for you.