Top Wi-Fi routers easy to hack, says study

The Wi-Fi router you use to broadcast a private wireless Internet signal in your home or office is not only easy to hack, says a report released today, but the best way to protect yourself is out of your hands.

The report, written by research firm Independent Security Evaluators of Baltimore, found that 13 of the most popular off-the-shelf wireless routers could be exploited by a "moderately skilled adversary with LAN or WLAN access." It also concludes that your best bet for safer Wi-Fi depends on router vendors upping their game. All 13 routers evaluated can be taken over from the local network, with four of those requiring no active management session. Eleven of the 13 can be taken over from a Wide-Area Network (WAN) such as a wireless network, with two of those requiring no active management session.

Read more at source:
Top Wi-Fi routers easy to hack, says study | Security & Privacy - CNET News
 
Wireless data transmission makes me nervous. They can call it harmless but billions of invisible bits floating in between Oxygen molecules is spooky. Cell phones are the same thing. Its some form of data radiation. They affect my audio system, just as does the microwave. If big brother can trace wireless sourcing, anything is possible.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Server 2012 / 8.0
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7 QuadCore 3770k
    Motherboard
    Asrock Extreme 4
    Memory
    16GB Crucial Ballistix
    Graphics Card(s)
    intel embedded gpu
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster Z
    Monitor(s) Displays
    AOC / Westinghouse
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Plextor pcie msata
    PSU
    Rosewill Silent Night 500W Fanless / PicoPSU
    Case
    open bench - no case enclosure
    Cooling
    Silverstone HEO2 Passive Silent
    Keyboard
    logitech washable K310
    Mouse
    logitech wired
    Browser
    ie / maxthon
    Other Info
    Totally silent. No fans at all.
Thank you Brink for the information. I don't know how easy to break-in a wireless network with WPA or WPA2 protection. Have you evered try to break-in your own wireless network?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP
    Computer type
    Laptop
Bottom line is nothing is safe if thieves want it bad enough.

If top secret firms and organizations can get hacked into, how could our little ole 90-200 dollar routers stand up to those who really want to get in. Our only safe bet is we're small fry compared to the bigger fish to be caught.

That said, it still doesn't mean you don't institute good sound security practices, starting with securing your router, using strong passphrases, and of course changing the router's default password.

My two cents.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built by me
    CPU
    Haswell i7-4770K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte G1 Sniper 5 (BIOS F9)
    Memory
    Corsair Dominator Platinum 32 gig (1866MHz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire R9-280 Vapor X
    Sound Card
    Soundblaster ZXR
    Monitor(s) Displays
    NEC PA242W - 24 inch
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 512gig 850 Pro SSD (OS), Samsung 256gig 840 Pro SSD (photo editing), Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB HD
    PSU
    EVGA Supernova 1000 G2
    Case
    Cooler Master HAF X
    Cooling
    Corsair H100i Closed Loop Cooler
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech Performance MX
    Internet Speed
    High Speed
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    Norton Security
    Other Info
    RAM Speed: 1866MHZ @ 9-10-10-27-2T, 1.5v

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Well that is a big let down...no matter what little we do on our end it's not enough...the bottom line is the router is the weakest point. That really sucks. Now is this strictly for wireless or is wired side involved?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom build
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X 4 965 BE
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-MA790X-DS4
    Memory
    G-Skill 8 GB PC 8500
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD XFX HD Radeon 6790D
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2l Samsung SyncMaster S20B300
    Screen Resolution
    1600 X 900
    Hard Drives
    Seagate Barracuda 320 GB w/OS
    Seagate Barracuda 1 TB data storage
    PSU
    Ultra X4 750 watt fully modular
    Case
    Thermaltake OverSeer RX 1 fulltower
    Cooling
    Cooler Master Hyper212 120mm
    Keyboard
    Logitech G510
    Mouse
    Razor DeathAdder 3.5
I dunno- I always use WPA-PSK, and I've never been hacked like when I was using WEP- It's just not possible and I have talked to some serious people about this, who all say it just can't be done. If I can't get in to my router, noby can. Are these "unsafe routers" being hacked outside of whatever encryption is being used? Are the routers themselves being accessed, so the login screen is accessible? That would be the only way to break in, but still, you would have to gain entry to the network first.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro with Media Center/Windows 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus § DualCore AMD Athlon 64 X2, 2300 MHz (11.5 x 200) 4400+ § Corsair Value Select
    CPU
    AMD 4400+/4200+
    Motherboard
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus/Asus A8M2N-LA (NodusM)
    Memory
    2 GB/3GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce 8400 GS/GeForce 210
    Sound Card
    nVIDIA GT218 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Hitachi 40" LCD HDTV
    Screen Resolution
    "1842 x 1036"
    Hard Drives
    WDC WD50 00AAKS-007AA SCSI Disk Device
    ST1000DL 002-9TT153 SCSI Disk Device
    WDC WD3200AAJB-00J3A0 ATA Device
    WDC WD32 WD-WCAPZ2942630 USB Device
    WD My Book 1140 USB Device
    PSU
    Works 550w
    Case
    MSI "M-Box"
    Cooling
    Water Cooled
    Keyboard
    Dell Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Intellimouse
    Internet Speed
    Cable Medium Speed
    Browser
    Chrome/IE 10
    Antivirus
    Eset NOD32 6.x/Win Defend
    Other Info
    Recently lost my Windows 8 on my main PC, had to go back to Windows 7.
I dunno- I always use WPA-PSK, and I've never been hacked like when I was using WEP- It's just not possible and I have talked to some serious people about this, who all say it just can't be done. If I can't get in to my router, noby can. Are these "unsafe routers" being hacked outside of whatever encryption is being used? Are the routers themselves being accessed, so the login screen is accessible? That would be the only way to break in, but still, you would have to gain entry to the network first.

With all due respect, if the top government agencies and corporations can get hacked, trust me, your WPA-PSK enabled store bought router can easily be hacked. The fact that it hasn't happened (or you don't know about it) doesn't mean it can't happen.

I too take great pains to make sure I'm not hacked either, but if some sophisticated hacker really wanted to hack me, I'm sure my commercially purchased router wouldn't be too much of a challenge. Now that doesn't sound good, but like all things bad, unfortunately they happen.

Again, I think what keeps most of us safe is that we're small fry. And yes, I know we're usually to easier one's to hack, but...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built by me
    CPU
    Haswell i7-4770K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte G1 Sniper 5 (BIOS F9)
    Memory
    Corsair Dominator Platinum 32 gig (1866MHz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire R9-280 Vapor X
    Sound Card
    Soundblaster ZXR
    Monitor(s) Displays
    NEC PA242W - 24 inch
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 512gig 850 Pro SSD (OS), Samsung 256gig 840 Pro SSD (photo editing), Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB HD
    PSU
    EVGA Supernova 1000 G2
    Case
    Cooler Master HAF X
    Cooling
    Corsair H100i Closed Loop Cooler
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech Performance MX
    Internet Speed
    High Speed
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    Norton Security
    Other Info
    RAM Speed: 1866MHZ @ 9-10-10-27-2T, 1.5v
Oh, I'm not saying they are not subject to some kind of exploitation, just my machine, if I can't get in, then they can't either, I have other protections in the network to keep people out, I don't just depend on the Router. I also have all of my computers and devices locked in to my network via their Mac Addresses, in the router and elsewhere. They'd have to spoof my Mac address just to be recognized by my network in two different places.

But I've always contended, that if some individual was highly motivated to get into my machine, they could not find some way to do it. I've seen very secure networks taken out in minutes... these guys don't usually work alone, they come at you from several angles at once, One attacks one way while others pound on other areas. I've seen it done from IRC chat rooms simply because someone was using a nick that was regged to one of them, and they didn't know. Hell I've had that done to me, in a regged chat room that I was the sole Op of. Used a bot net to kick me out, used ME to give my own op away, then they took over the room with over a thousand bots. It was a couple of college guys playing Shadow Wars, eventually they gave it all back, but there was nothing we could do until they did.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro with Media Center/Windows 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus § DualCore AMD Athlon 64 X2, 2300 MHz (11.5 x 200) 4400+ § Corsair Value Select
    CPU
    AMD 4400+/4200+
    Motherboard
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus/Asus A8M2N-LA (NodusM)
    Memory
    2 GB/3GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce 8400 GS/GeForce 210
    Sound Card
    nVIDIA GT218 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Hitachi 40" LCD HDTV
    Screen Resolution
    "1842 x 1036"
    Hard Drives
    WDC WD50 00AAKS-007AA SCSI Disk Device
    ST1000DL 002-9TT153 SCSI Disk Device
    WDC WD3200AAJB-00J3A0 ATA Device
    WDC WD32 WD-WCAPZ2942630 USB Device
    WD My Book 1140 USB Device
    PSU
    Works 550w
    Case
    MSI "M-Box"
    Cooling
    Water Cooled
    Keyboard
    Dell Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Intellimouse
    Internet Speed
    Cable Medium Speed
    Browser
    Chrome/IE 10
    Antivirus
    Eset NOD32 6.x/Win Defend
    Other Info
    Recently lost my Windows 8 on my main PC, had to go back to Windows 7.
Hi there
Very true however it's easy to become over paranoid over this sort of stuff -- people use mobile phones every day without batting an eyelid but wifi makes the same set of people increasingly nervous.

I suppose it's just our increasingly litigious and compensation culture society that's making everybody paranoid and risk averse.

I really don't give too hoots if people are monitoring my Internet / listening to my phone or attempting to get money out of my Bank account. - I'm quite sure that any eavesdroppers to what I'm saying on the phone would have to be exceptionally good linguists (not too many Native Icelandic speakers I'd guess) or would get bored to tears listening -- and if they were following my internet usage they would have to be decent University graduate Engineers or Stock market traders - and if 10 million people want to copy a trade I make then it will push the trade sky high --win for me !!

As for my primary Bank account -- I just have my Pension paid into it and keep enough for local bills so nobody is going to get rich stealing from that account. Other Financial institutions are much more difficult to hack into -- and there are much better pickings around for people into this sort of stuff to persue.

My advice to ANYBODY - especially in the era of LOW or non existent interest rates is to NEVER keep more than about 2,000 USD in a current Bank account - or less if your monthly bills etc aren't that high, have a savings type account, a Post Office account -- I see even the UK is bringing these back, and join a decent Credit Union for your serious stuff - where you can get a debit and credit card too. For other financial stuff I always use Pre Paid "Visa" type cards.

Seriously folks - if you are reasonably "Normal" and don't do anything stupid on the Internet you should be 100% safe - and if the CIA / FBI or whatever want you they'll have you even if you NEVER LOOK at a computer again.

Just enjoy life -- don't get too paranoid. The sheer volume of data available these days makes monitoring "normal individuals" a total impossibility - even if the technical ability to do it exists.

Cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Centos 7, W8.1, W7, W2K3 Server W10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 X LG 40 inch TV
    Hard Drives
    SSD's * 3 (Samsung 840 series) 250 GB
    2 X 3 TB sata
    5 X 1 TB sata
    Internet Speed
    0.12 GB/s (120Mb/s)
The bottomline of hacking is to steal (unless you are a suspected criminal under surveillance). It's either we get hacked at home, or we get wacked on the street. People can steal in many different ways. So, we should not single out technology. Just try to enjoy them. :dinesh:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8 (64) : Win 7 (64) : Vista (64) : Android JB 4.2 : iOS 6
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer AX Series & HP i-5 2400s
    Screen Resolution
    Main PC - 2x Sony PS3 3D LED Displays + 1x 22" Philips; HTPC - 47" HDTV w/ 17" LCD secondary display
    Hard Drives
    Internal- 1TB on each system; 1x120GB SSD on main PC
    External (network attached)- 1x2TB Seagate backup; 1x1TB ext. storage; 1x500GB,
    Other Info
    http://tinyurl.com/br4uxrk

    http://tinyurl.com/cwj93pj
The bottomline of hacking is to steal (unless you are a suspected criminal under surveillance). It's either we get hacked at home, or we get wacked on the street. People can steal in many different ways. So, we should not single out technology. Just try to enjoy them. :dinesh:

Hi there
Good for you and well said -- just enjoy and with a decent amount of common sense you'll be fine. (Can't rep you for News item but again well said).

Cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Centos 7, W8.1, W7, W2K3 Server W10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 X LG 40 inch TV
    Hard Drives
    SSD's * 3 (Samsung 840 series) 250 GB
    2 X 3 TB sata
    5 X 1 TB sata
    Internet Speed
    0.12 GB/s (120Mb/s)
I suppose it's just our increasingly litigious and compensation culture society that's making everybody paranoid and risk averse.

If one is aware of the world around them, does that make them paranoid or aware? You can be aware and fully enjoy life. You're just not naïve to the world around you.

I really don't give too hoots if people are monitoring my Internet / listening to my phone or attempting to get money out of my Bank account. - I'm quite sure that any eavesdroppers to what I'm saying on the phone would have to be exceptionally good linguists (not too many Native Icelandic speakers I'd guess) or would get bored to tears listening -- and if they were following my internet usage they would have to be decent University graduate Engineers or Stock market traders - and if 10 million people want to copy a trade I make then it will push the trade sky high --win for me !!

You should. Anytime one's privacy is violated and they know about it, the flag should be raised, otherwise things stay the same. But I get your point, since I said I know bad things happen; it doesn't make it right, but they happen.

Just enjoy life -- don't get too paranoid. The sheer volume of data available these days makes monitoring "normal individuals" a total impossibility - even if the technical ability to do it exists.

This we agree on; and that was my point as well, even though it wasn't explicitly stated :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built by me
    CPU
    Haswell i7-4770K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte G1 Sniper 5 (BIOS F9)
    Memory
    Corsair Dominator Platinum 32 gig (1866MHz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire R9-280 Vapor X
    Sound Card
    Soundblaster ZXR
    Monitor(s) Displays
    NEC PA242W - 24 inch
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 512gig 850 Pro SSD (OS), Samsung 256gig 840 Pro SSD (photo editing), Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB HD
    PSU
    EVGA Supernova 1000 G2
    Case
    Cooler Master HAF X
    Cooling
    Corsair H100i Closed Loop Cooler
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech Performance MX
    Internet Speed
    High Speed
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    Norton Security
    Other Info
    RAM Speed: 1866MHZ @ 9-10-10-27-2T, 1.5v
Think of yourself as an average person. There are thousands of people just like you in your area. What are the chances of a super hacker getting their eye on you? What data could you possibly possess that they could possibly want. Besides, you can always shut off your wi-fi you're not using it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Professional 64-bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-3570k
    Motherboard
    ASRock Intel Z77 Extreme4
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Cooling
    Hyper 212
Think of yourself as an average person. There are thousands of people just like you in your area. What are the chances of a super hacker getting their eye on you? What data could you possibly possess that they could possibly want. Besides, you can always shut off your wi-fi you're not using it.

I think I could say that I am very safe in my condo. Why? Before the hackers will get to me, they will first deal with people with unsecured network. Hahaha... If I were a crooked guy, I could have cancelled my own internet subscription and use my neighbors bandwidth allocations. :p
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8 (64) : Win 7 (64) : Vista (64) : Android JB 4.2 : iOS 6
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer AX Series & HP i-5 2400s
    Screen Resolution
    Main PC - 2x Sony PS3 3D LED Displays + 1x 22" Philips; HTPC - 47" HDTV w/ 17" LCD secondary display
    Hard Drives
    Internal- 1TB on each system; 1x120GB SSD on main PC
    External (network attached)- 1x2TB Seagate backup; 1x1TB ext. storage; 1x500GB,
    Other Info
    http://tinyurl.com/br4uxrk

    http://tinyurl.com/cwj93pj
Think of yourself as an average person. There are thousands of people just like you in your area. What are the chances of a super hacker getting their eye on you? What data could you possibly possess that they could possibly want. Besides, you can always shut off your wi-fi you're not using it.

I think I could say that I am very safe in my condo. Why? Before the hackers will get to me, they will first deal with people with unsecured network. Hahaha... If I were a crooked guy, I could have cancelled my own internet subscription and use my neighbors bandwidth allocations. :p

Yeah I agree.

However as I used to tell my kids, who just love free WiFi, sometimes those open networks are open for a reason - think Venus fly trap ;)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built by me
    CPU
    Haswell i7-4770K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte G1 Sniper 5 (BIOS F9)
    Memory
    Corsair Dominator Platinum 32 gig (1866MHz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire R9-280 Vapor X
    Sound Card
    Soundblaster ZXR
    Monitor(s) Displays
    NEC PA242W - 24 inch
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 512gig 850 Pro SSD (OS), Samsung 256gig 840 Pro SSD (photo editing), Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB HD
    PSU
    EVGA Supernova 1000 G2
    Case
    Cooler Master HAF X
    Cooling
    Corsair H100i Closed Loop Cooler
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech Performance MX
    Internet Speed
    High Speed
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    Norton Security
    Other Info
    RAM Speed: 1866MHZ @ 9-10-10-27-2T, 1.5v
There are actually guys in my neighborhood who drive around "sniffing" WiFi, siphoning whatever data they can get. It was an article in a local paper, they reporter was allowed to take a picture of their gear. Now These guys, they COULD get in to my system. But they got a certain kind of Antenna on their car, I know what it looks like, if I ever see it in my neighborhood, I'll shut off my Wifi for sure. I don't know the car or their faces but the antenna is a dead giveaway.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro with Media Center/Windows 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus § DualCore AMD Athlon 64 X2, 2300 MHz (11.5 x 200) 4400+ § Corsair Value Select
    CPU
    AMD 4400+/4200+
    Motherboard
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus/Asus A8M2N-LA (NodusM)
    Memory
    2 GB/3GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce 8400 GS/GeForce 210
    Sound Card
    nVIDIA GT218 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Hitachi 40" LCD HDTV
    Screen Resolution
    "1842 x 1036"
    Hard Drives
    WDC WD50 00AAKS-007AA SCSI Disk Device
    ST1000DL 002-9TT153 SCSI Disk Device
    WDC WD3200AAJB-00J3A0 ATA Device
    WDC WD32 WD-WCAPZ2942630 USB Device
    WD My Book 1140 USB Device
    PSU
    Works 550w
    Case
    MSI "M-Box"
    Cooling
    Water Cooled
    Keyboard
    Dell Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Intellimouse
    Internet Speed
    Cable Medium Speed
    Browser
    Chrome/IE 10
    Antivirus
    Eset NOD32 6.x/Win Defend
    Other Info
    Recently lost my Windows 8 on my main PC, had to go back to Windows 7.
Back
Top