Symantec Warns About Home Wireless Router Attacks

By Beverly Maniago

TMCnet Contributing Editor

 

Symantec this week issued an advisory warning Internet users to change their default password for home wireless routers in order to keep their connection and devices secure.

 

Researchers from Indiana University and Symantec discovered a new technique that hackers can use in order to get into wireless home routers.

 

Here’s how the new technique works: A hacker creates a fake Web sites that contains malicious code. When this website is viewed by Internet users, the hacker performs ‘Cross Site Request Forgery,’ which changes the configuration of the wireless access point using JavaScript code.

 

This security hole could result in identity theft or compromise the security of internal corporate networks.

 

The researchers also said that Domain Name System (DNS) configurations can be altered by hackers when users view pages containing JavaScript code. This is because, when hackers take control of a DNS, they have the ability to divert Net traffic and send the users to Web sites they did not intend to view.

 

Zulfikar Ramzan, senior principal research for Symantec’s advanced threat research group, said in a statement that, because most routers require a password for logging in, changing the default password is one way for users to protect themselves.

 

“However, most people never change this password from the original factory default, “ Ramzan noted. “Upon successful login, the JavaScript code changes the router’s settings. One simple, but devastating, change is to the user's DNS server settings.”

 

Although it can be alarming, researchers say this security hole is something that can easily be avoided. Users are being urged to change their home wireless router password to something that is not easy to guess, preferably combination of letters and numbers. This is the most effective way in keeping the home wireless networks secure and reliable.