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Intentional Backdoor In Consumer Routers Found
New submitter janoc (699997) writes about a backdoor that was fixed (only not). "Eloi Vanderbeken from Synacktiv has identified an intentional backdoor in a module by Sercomm used by major router manufacturers (Cisco, Linksys, Netgear, etc.). The backdoor was ostensibly fixed — by obfuscating it and making it harder to access. The original report (PDF). And yeah, there is an exploit available ..."
Rather than actually closing the backdoor, they just altered it so that the service was not enabled until you knocked the portal with a specially crafted Ethernet packet. Quoting Ars Technica: "The nature of the change, which leverages the same code as was used in the old firmware to provide administrative access over the concealed port, suggests that the backdoor is an intentional feature of the firmware ... Because of the format of the packets—raw Ethernet packets, not Internet Protocol packets—they would need to be sent from within the local wireless LAN, or from the Internet service provider’s equipment. But they could be sent out from an ISP as a broadcast, essentially re-opening the backdoor on any customer’s router that had been patched."
What's with all the NSA stuff already? Your ISP is tired of sending out techs to swap your perfectly good leased router that the tech from india was unable to talk you into resetting, because you would have lost your pirate bay port forwarding setup. Just because the tech from india is following a script, doesn't mean your not stupid.
Or to paraphrase Obama, - "you didn't build that internet!" . We have come a long way since Al Gore, haven't we?
I say tomato..
Just load OpenWRT or some other open source firmware, problem solved.
What do you mean there isn't a port for your hardware? Why did you buy it in the first place? Throw it away (or donate it to someone who can do the port) and buy something that has been ported.
NEVER buy hardware without a open source port at least in progress.. You have been warned!
Except, of course, open source code also contains horrific security vulnerabilities.
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
Unless the router firmware is open source, you have no way of knowing what it is doing, DOCSIS or not.
Instead of jabber-jawing about your religious crusade to promote open source, why dont you instead focus on reviewing some open source codebases. Maybe if you are really diligent for a long enough period of time, your religion will earn our trust.
"His name was James Damore."