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The most popular routers in the world are found to have security issues, affecting millions of people around the world.

Internet vulnerabilities have been prevalent for the longest time, and the easiest way for attackers to infiltrate this network is through an individual’s Wi-Fi. Security researchers have analyzed various Wi-Fi routers, and the results are alarming, to say the least.

Researchers concluded that there are a staggering 226 vulnerabilities in the top nine Wi-Fi routers. The vulnerabilities persisted even after they were run on the latest firmware. The routers that were tested included models from:

  • Asus
  • AVM
  • D-Link
  • Netgear
  • Edimax
  • TP-Link
  • Synology
  • Linksys

These are the most popular router brands in the market today, and currently, millions of people are using these routers. Unfortunately, the vulnerabilities can mean serious risks for users.

What vulnerabilities were found?

When we look at the results, we can see that TP-Link and Synology were the frontrunners in these vulnerabilities, with over 30 security bugs and flaws. Although not all the vulnerabilities were alarming, a few stood out. These include:

  • The use of outdated Linux kernel in the firmware
  • The use of outdated VPN functions and Multimedia
  • Relying heavily on older versions of BusyBox
  • Using weak default passwords
  • Hardcoded credentials present in plain text

How are the vendors responding?

After the study was released, certain vendors took appropriate actions towards rectifying the issues. All the vendors worked on their firmware to some extent, and even though there weren’t any follow-up tests conducted, on-paper, the firmware updates seem to have filled the gap. These updates were made to sort out the flaws and bugs highlighted by the research. Some vendors spent more time and effort on their updates than others. In the end, all vendors made some contribution towards fixing the problem.

We use our Wi-Fi routers every day and are completely oblivious to any malicious activities or flaws that may occur. Security research like these makes vendors aware of their system’s flaws and work on improving it.