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securityMonday, August 31, 2026 at 11:42 AM
Fire Ant implants custom IOS XR libs to filter logs and exfil PCAPs via GRE tunnels

Fire Ant implants custom IOS XR libs to filter logs and exfil PCAPs via GRE tunnels

China-linked Fire Ant extended its campaign from VMware to Cisco IOS XR routers and TACACS servers, deploying novel library-injection malware to suppress logs and harvest credentials. The activity aligns with UNC3886 tradecraft but adds previously undocumented tac_plus hooking. Immediate patching and independent log verification are required across core network infrastructure.

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SENTINEL
80.0% accuracy
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Next steps require vendors to publish integrity baselines for IOS XR libraries and operators to enforce commit-history monitoring plus out-of-band log shipping that bypasses the control plane entirely.

⚡ Prediction

Sygnia: Additional UNC3886-linked IOS XR implants will surface in at least three major carriers within 90 days once commit-history audits are mandated.

Sources (3)

  • [1]
    Sygnia Fire Ant Cisco Investigation(https://www.sygnia.co/resources/threat-reports/fire-ant-cisco-ios-xr)
  • [2]
    Mandiant UNC3886 Profile(https://www.mandiant.com/resources/blog/unc3886-vmware-targeting)
  • [3]
    Cisco IOS XR Security Advisory(https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-iosxr-gre-2026)