We post regularly about the importance of staying up to date on security knowledge and practices for everyone in your family who uses the internet. We even have a whole section of our blog dedicated to it that you can access by clicking here. Today, we’re sharing with you recent news of how some routers sold at Walmart, Amazon and Ebay might be leaving you open for hackers and fraud.
In a collaboration between CyberNews Sr. Information Security Researcher Mantas Sasnauskas and researchers James Clee and Roni Carta, suspicious backdoors have been discovered in a Chinese-made Jetstream router, sold exclusively at Walmart as their new line of “affordable” wifi routers. This backdoor would allow an attacker the ability to remotely control not only the routers, but also any devices connected to that network.
Besides the Walmart-exclusive Jetstream router, the cybersecurity research team also discovered that low-cost Wavlink routers, normally sold on Amazon or eBay, have similar backdoors.
What makes these routers vulnerable?
In normal situations, whenever an attacker wants to take over control of the router, they would need physical access to the device. According to the report, researchers found that the Wavlink and Jetstream devices have a file that allows for remote access to the router. The only thing that the attacker would need is for a user to be connected at the time.
When the people who published this report reached out to Walmart for followup, Walmart informed them that the router in question is currently out of stock and they do not have plans to replenish it. This still leaves the possibility that if you purchased in the past one of the routers discussed at Walmart, or on Ebay or Amazon, you might be at risk.
What to do if you think your router is compromised
If you purchased a router in the past from any of these outlets, unfortunately there isn’t much you can do about it. The devices, as they are right now, have these backdoors and they can’t be removed. The best thing to do is to stop using them and install a new router from a reputable company.
If you are shopping for a new router, check out the article “How to Choose the Best Router for Softcom Service” for guidance and ideas. And if you have questions or concerns about your current router or account security give us a call at (800) 982-7675 or 1 (888) 4-SOFTCOM, we’re here to help.
