Tag Archive for: router

Flaw in common hotel router threatens guests’ devices

/in

Corporate travelers should be warned that a Wi-Fi router commonly used in hotels is easily compromised, putting guests passwords at risk and opening up their computers to malware infections and direct attacks.

The good news is that there is a patch for the flaw, but there is no guarantee affected hotels will install it right away.

+ More on Network World: 10 young security companies to watch in 2015 +

Cylance, a security vendor whose research team found the problem, says 277 InnGate routers in 29 countries are affected. The routers are made by ANTLabs.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Network World Tim Greene

“SOHOpelessly BROKEN” hacking contest aims to test home router security

/in

Over the past few years, consumer-grade routers have emerged as a key security threat. Whether manufactured by Asus, Linksys, D-Link, Micronet, Tenda, TP-Link, or others, small office/home office (SOHO) routers have suffered a variety of real-world attacks that in some cases have allowed hackers to remotely commandeer hundreds of thousands of devices.

Now, security advocates are sponsoring “SOHOpelessly BROKEN,” a no-holds-barred router hacking competition at next month’s Defcon hacker conference in Las Vegas. The contest will challenge attendees to unleash novel exploits on 10 off-the-shelf SOHO routers running recent firmware versions.

“The objective in this contest is to demonstrate previously unidentified vulnerabilities in off-the-shelf consumer wireless routers,” organizers said. “Contestants must identify weaknesses and exploit the routers to gain control. Pop as many as you can over the weekend to win. Contest will take place at Defcon 22, August 7-12, 2014 in the Wireless Village contest area.”

Read 1 remaining paragraphs | Comments


Ars Technica » Technology Lab

A wireless router that tracks user activity—but for a good reason

/in

D-Link

Over the past year we’ve watched in dismay as more and more devices require cloud service accounts to unlock their full potential. Cisco made its routers worse with a software update that forced users onto a cloud service with less functionality than the traditional management interface, and then Razer required Internet connections in order to use all the capabilities of a gaming mouse.

It’s not that cloud services are inherently bad—many are extraordinarily useful. The issue is that physical devices that always worked just fine without an Internet connection shouldn’t require users to upload data to some vendor’s servers and create a new username and password unless there’s a good reason for it.

Along came a new example today, but one that may well turn out to be good for users—even those who want to keep all their data completely out of anyone’s cloud. Wireless chip maker Qualcomm Atheros today unveiled StreamBoost, which intelligently manages your home’s broadband connection on routers based on Qualcomm’s 802.11ac technology.

Read 13 remaining paragraphs | Comments


Ars Technica » Technology Lab