by Charles Miller

The good news is that Apple, Microsoft and Google have continued to improve the security of their Operating Systems so that today your computer and mobile devices are more secure than they have ever been. The bad news is that the thieves and cybercrooks of the world have not given up trying to steal your passwords so they can empty out your bank account. The crooks are still trying very hard to hack into your business.

A consequence of the improved security of computers and mobile devices is that the crooks are looking elsewhere for low-hanging fruit and have found it in the typical home router. So what is a router? Almost every home has one now, and it is actually a tiny computer. It may not have a mouse, keyboard or screen; but make no mistake… it is actually a little computer.

Many consumer routers use software (properly called firmware) based on Linux, which makes them distant cousins of the software used to run Mac computers. Therefore the software in any router is vulnerable to virus/malware infection just as surely as any Apple computer is. This is a concern because routers are typically connected directly to the internet 24 hours a day while rarely if ever receiving any security updates.

In 2018 researchers at Cisco discovered that hackers had infected more than a half million home and small-office routers around the world. The malware could be used to collect communications, launch attacks on others systems, or permanently destroy the router. Some evidence indicates a nation state was responsible and that Ukraine was the target, but that does not mean you can afford to rest easy.

That particular malware is capable of siphoning off any data that passes through the network devices it infects, and appears specifically designed to monitor credentials entered into websites. There can be no doubt that criminal organizations that are stymied in being able to infect your computer or mobile device by its improved security already are aware that infecting routers is possible. This raises the specter of your router being used to spy on all of your internet activities, and reporting things such as your banking credentials and passwords directly to the crooks who then empty your bank account.

This problem of router-based malware is not an entirely new development. In 2014, malware named “TheMoon” spread across the internet but only infected a few thousand routers of one brand. That method of attack worked for the crooks so naturally they are not going to stop. Several new attacks that have been observed over the last year showing a growing sophistication and are cause for more concern.

Home routers have suddenly become as mosquitoes to yellow fever or rats to bubonic plague: ubiquitous, vulnerable, and easily infected carriers. Worst of all is that if you are a technology user you may already have a vulnerable router in your home. Next week I will suggest some proactive steps you can take to protect yourself.

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Charles Miller is a freelance computer consultant with decades of IT experience and a Texan with a lifetime love for Mexico. The opinions expressed are his own. He may be contacted at 415-101-8528 or email FAQ8 (at) SMAguru.com.

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