Government departments and private businesses are being targeted in internet attacks orchestrated by the Russian government. Joint technical alert issued by the US Department of Homeland Security and the UKs National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) warns that network devices are particularly attractive targets for attack because of the data that passes through them. Russian-backed hackers have targeted routers running out-of-date firmware, with misconfigured settings, or relying upon weak credentials for their security. In many cases the attacks have taken advantage of vulnerabilities in the Telnet, TFTP, SNMP, and SMI (Smart Install) protocols.”]