DeepSec Video: Revisiting SOHO Router Attacks

René Pfeiffer/ March 1, 2016/ Conference, Security

Routers are everywhere. If you are connected to the Internet, your next router takes care of all packets. So basically your nearest router (or next hop as the packet girls and guys call them) is a prime target for attackers of any kind. Since hard-/software comes in various sizes, colours, and prices, there is a big difference in quality, i.e. how good your router can defend itself. Jose Antonio Rodriguez Garcia, Ivan Sanz de Castro, and Álvaro Folgado Rueda (independent IT security researchers) held a presentation about the security of small office/home office SOHO routers at DeepSec 2015.

Domestic routers have lately been targeted by cybercrime due to the huge amount of well-known vulnerabilities which compromise their security. The purpose of our publication is to assess SOHO router security by auditing a sample of these devices and to research innovative attack vectors. More than 60 previously undisclosed security vulnerabilities have been discovered throughout 22 popular home routers, meaning that manufacturers and Internet Service Providers have still much work to do on securing these devices. A wide variety of attacks could be carried out by exploiting the different types of vulnerabilities discovered during this research.

Gentle reminder: The concept of BYOD includes every weak SOHO link on the market. Enjoy thinking about this little fact.