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The software that runs internet-connected industrial robots is outdated and vulnerable to hacking, according to a new report from cybersecurity firm Trend Micro and the Politecnico de Milano. The researchers found tens of thousands of industrial devices were susceptible to hackers, which included industrial robots.

Trend Micro's Mark Nunnikhoven said the attack was "extremely clever" because it's difficult to filter email with a legitimate Google URL. The URL can't be blocked because it's a legitimate domain, owned and controlled by Google. Defending against this attack relies entirely on the user," he noted.

"As far as the robot thinks, it's still drawing a straight line," Mark Nunnikhoven, vice president of cloud research at Trend Micro, told Forbes. "It's a remote code exploit to change the configuration file, we're not changing the instructions, we’re changing what the robot believes to be true about its environment.

First emerging on the Russian underground marketplace in March 2016, Cerber has been issued in a number of versions with each iteration evolving its structure, techniques and functions. It is now being cited by Trend Micro as the "most prolific family of ransomware in the threat landscape."

Discovered by Trend Micro, FalseGuide's main focus is on infecting and adding as many devices to a centrally-managed botnet. The purpose of this botnet is to show unrequested ads to victims, via popups or other means.