If Your Router Is on This FBI List, You Need to Upgrade It Immediately
1 min read
Summary
An alert by the FBI has highlighted the risk of using “end of life” routers that are no longer supported by manufacturers and so do not benefit from security updates to protect against known vulnerabilities.
Thirteen makes of router have been identified as being particularly at risk, with attackers able to gain access to the router’s management interface to upload malware that gives them administrator access.
The compromised routers are then used as part of a larger botnet which is rented out to criminals to conceal their identity and carry out attacks, such as DDoS attacks.
The FBI has seized two websites, Anyproxy and 5Socks, which were using hacked routers to provide proxy services to criminals.
The advice to homeowners is to replace “end of life” routers with newer models that benefit from more secure updates.
Where this is not immediately possible, features such as remote management or administration should be disabled.
Those with newer routers should ensure they regularly check for updates to protect against vulnerabilities.
