Researchers Spot Surge in Erlang/OTP SSH RCE Exploits, 70% Target OT Firewalls

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European organizations should prioritize immediate risk assessment of their Erlang/OTP SSH implementations, especially within OT firewall devices. Since no patches are currently available, organizations should implement compensating controls such as network segmentation to isolate OT firewalls from less trusted networks and restrict SSH access to trusted management hosts only. Employing strict access control lists (ACLs), multi-factor authentication (MFA) for remote access, and continuous monitoring of SSH logs for anomalous activities is critical. Organizations should also engage with vendors to obtain timely updates or workarounds and consider deploying intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS) tuned to detect exploitation attempts targeting Erlang/OTP SSH vulnerabilities. Conducting penetration testing and vulnerability scanning focused on OT firewall SSH services can help identify exposure. Additionally, incident response plans should be updated to address potential RCE incidents in OT environments, ensuring rapid containment and recovery. Collaboration with national cybersecurity agencies and sharing threat intelligence within industry-specific Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs) will enhance collective defense.