According to a recent study, 73% of users have never thought about upgrading or securing their router, making it one of the biggest threats currently affecting the Internet of Things (IoT). This type of threat, from vulnerable routers, affects both families and organizations, affecting not only email security flaws but also the physical security of the home. In this regard, Kaspersky Lab experts explain what vulnerabilities in routers can be and how users can protect themselves.
Through an infected router, an attacker can redirect users to phishing pages disguised as webmail pages or online banking sites, which are often used for this purpose. All data entered on these pages, whether it is an e-mail login and password or bank card details, will instantly fall into the hands of scammers.
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Since 2010, the number of discovered vulnerabilities in routers has been steadily growing all over the world. This global increase was 603 people in 2020, about 3 times more than the previous year, according to CVE. In 2021, the number of discovered vulnerabilities remained almost the same at 506. Of all the vulnerabilities discovered over the past year, 87 were critical.
Such vulnerabilities allow a cybercriminal to bypass authentication and send remote commands to the router, resulting in the theft of data transmitted over the infected network, whether it be your personal photos, personal information, or even business contracts sent via email.
Although researchers are paying more attention to the flaws they have found, routers are still among the most insecure devices. One of the reasons for this is that not all manufacturers care about protecting these devices. Nearly a third of critical vulnerabilities discovered in 2021 remain unpatched: not a single note or advisory has been issued. Another 26% of these vulnerabilities received only one comment from the company, which, in most cases, instructs the user to contact technical support.
To make matters worse, consumers and small businesses do not have the knowledge or resources needed to identify or understand a threat until it is too late. The proof of this is that over 73% of users have never thought about upgrading or securing their router. When routers used in environments with large data stores, such as hospitals or government offices, are hacked, they become a major threat, as thousands of people could potentially be seriously affected by a data breach.
“Network devices and their security are always forgotten because they are constantly running and are only remembered when there is a problem. Many people have been working from home for the last couple of years, but router security hasn’t improved in that time – they’re devices that are rarely updated. Therefore, the risk of exploitation of these vulnerabilities by cybercriminals remains a problem in 2022. It is important to prevent the threat as early as possible, as people usually detect such an attack too late – after the device has been attacked, DNS settings have been changed, money and data have been stolen from the victims. comment Fabio Assolini, Director of Latin America Research and Analysis Group Latin America.
To protect your router from attacks by cybercriminals, Kaspersky Lab recommends:
- Buying used smart devices is not a safe practice. Your firmware may have been modified by someone to give access to a criminal who remotely controls your smart home.
- Don’t forget to change the default password. Choose a complex password and update it regularly.
- Do not share serial numbers, IP addresses, or other sensitive information about your smart devices on social networks.
- Give preference to encryption – it is the most secure for data transfer.
- Disable remote access in the router settings. If remote access is still required, it should be disabled when not in use.
- Having decided on a specific brand of router, be sure to keep an eye on firmware updates and newly discovered vulnerabilities.
- Consider installing a dedicated security solution to help protect your home network and all connected devices.
Read the full router security report on Securelist.
About Kaspersky
Kaspersky Lab is an international cybersecurity and digital privacy company founded in 1997. Her deep knowledge of threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly translated into innovative security solutions and services to protect businesses, industrial infrastructures, governments and end users around the world. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes outstanding endpoint security solutions as well as a variety of specialized security solutions and services to combat complex and evolving digital threats. Kaspersky Lab technologies protect more than 400 million users, and Kaspersky Lab helps 240,000 corporate customers protect what matters most to them. Find out more on the company’s website.
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Source : Married Games
