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Backdoor infecting VPNs used “magic packets” for stealth and security

Ars Technica
Summary
Nutrition label

70% Informative

A never-before-seen backdoor quietly took hold of dozens of VPNs running Juniper Network’s Junos OS.

The lightweight backdoor is notable because it resided only in memory, a trait that makes detection harder for defenders.

After receiving a magic packet hidden in the normal flow of TCP traffic, it relays a challenge to the device that sent it.

The challenge comes in the form of a string of text that's encrypted using the public portion of an RSA key.

VR Score

64

Informative language

57

Neutral language

65

Article tone

informal

Language

English

Language complexity

49

Offensive language

not offensive

Hate speech

not hateful

Attention-grabbing headline

not detected

Known propaganda techniques

not detected

Time-value

medium-lived

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