One of the biggest cybersecurity stories of the week: thousands of networks — including U.S. government agencies and Fortune 500 companies — are facing an “imminent threat” following a major breach at Seattle-based software maker F5. Investigators say a China-linked nation-state actor maintained long-term, covert access to F5’s systems for nearly a year, stealing BIG-IP source code, customer configurations, and data on unpatched vulnerabilities. While F5 insists the threat is contained — and firms like CrowdStrike and Mandiant have validated their findings — the potential exposure is massive. CISA and the UK’s NCSC have issued emergency directives urging organizations to patch immediately, harden BIG-IP appliances, and tighten network visibility. Given BIG-IP’s critical role in global infrastructure, this isn’t a drill — it’s a wake-up call for defenders everywhere. https://my.f5.com/manage/s/article/K000154696 https://www.securityweek.com/f5-hack-attack-linked-to-china-big-ip-flaws-patched-governments-issue-alerts/ https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/10/breach-of-f5-requires-emergency-action-from-big-ip-users-feds-warn/
