Zero-Day Bugs In Numerous Modems/Routers Could Compromise Millions of Users (softpedia.com)

An anonymous reader writes: Researchers have discovered a large number of zero-day flaws in 8 routers/modems from 4 manufacturers (ZTE, Huawei, Gemtek, Quanta) that would allow attackers to build a huge botnet by leveraging just a few exploits. Vulnerabilities include remote code execution, firmware rewrites, XSS, and CSRF. All these allow attackers to intercept both HTTP and HTTPS Web traffic, infect computers beyond the modem, intercept SMS messages, and detect the modem's geographical location. After six months, manufacturers have failed to fix the issues.

Comments

Openwrt

[JonathanP.Bennett]

This is why the ability to install secure and Open Source firmware like OpenWrt is so important.
https://openwrt.org/

Re:Openwrt

[sexconker]

The Chinese will just move the backdoors deeper into the hardware.
We're long passed the point of no return on this one.

Re:Openwrt

[sexconker]

Past.
(I had "We passed the point of no return on this one a long time ago." and just moved shit around. Oopsie doopsie poopsie.)

Re:Openwrt

[The_Dougster]

OpenWRT is really good. I won't buy a router now unless its on the OpenWRT supported hardware list.

Re:Openwrt

[Anonymous Coward]

Buy a new router. Routers which are supported by the latest OpenWRT release can be bought for less than $20. You don't need a fancy gigabit router on the edge of your home network. I would tell you what to get and where and how much it actually costs, but Google won't let me search US shops, because apparently a search engine should under no circumstances let me search anything outside my area. Fuck this, the internet is dead. Why have a router when the internet is like this. What we need are VPN gateways to some sane place. But if you want a cheap router that works fine with the latest OpenWRT (support for multiple SSIDs, client and AP at the same time, VLAN tagging on the ethernet switch, etc.), search for "tp-link tl-wr841n".

Re:Openwrt

[gstoddart]

So, here's the problem with that:

All of these modems are distributed by various telcos to their customers.

As well as:

It also appears that some of the modem's firmware was also modified by the telecommunications companies that distributed the modems to their customers.

So, the real problem is these modems belong to the telco, you probably can't change the firmware, and the bugs in some cases seem to have been introduced by the telcos.

No amount of open source ANYTHING is going to fix telcos who are providing customers with modified versions of the routers which they've done a poor job of changing.

EVEN if the original companies release fixes, the telcos are likely too lazy/cheap/indifferent to fix the damned things, and users can't exactly swap out the modems.

Shit like this is why companies need to bear some legal responsibility, and why telcos should be barred from modifying equipment for their own purposes -- their desire to brand it or add their own special functionality as often as not leaves users with abandoned devices which can't be fixed.

Any sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice. And this is some pretty advanced incompetence.

Re:Openwrt

[bobbied]

As in all of life, it depends. It depends on what you want your router to actually do...

Personally, I use OpenWRT on a couple of WNDR4300's that I picked up off of E-Bay over time, but I went with this router because it was CHEAP and had a VLAN capable switch. Even though I use this device, I'd not suggest it to others because currently the OpenWRT build for it is something you have to do on your own, not that it's hard, it's just time consuming.

But more to your question.. How do you know what hardware is best supported in OpenWRT? I suggest the following: First, check the supported hard ware list and make sure your exact hardware is there and shows that it's supported. Then make sure there are understandable installation instructions and that there is a build provided for your device. Finally, take a look at the device's forums and poke around to find out what kinds of problems other people are having with the hardware. In short, investigate the issues, use your favorite search engine, go look it up.

And the cycle begins anew

[Kichigai Mentat]

Cue renewed calls for auditable firmware.
Cue those calls continuing to fall on deaf ears.

I mean, let's face it, barring something cataclysmic this just ain't going to happen.

Arguably there are trade secrets contained within the firmware, which could be exploited by competitors. Motorola wouldn't want Xoom to find out that a commonly used algorithm for dealing with DOCSIS comms is in fact less efficient than another one they dug up, nullifying their competitive edge. And likewise D-Link wouldn't want you to find out that there's a critical problem with their router that can't be fixed in firmware. So they're going to fight this.

Auditable firmware would also expose management controls used by telecoms and ISPs. This would expose their capabilities, and how they work. People wouldn't just know how far reaching these controls are, but also how limited they are. It could raise the specter or nefarious people reverse engineering access to those controls, and doing things they aren't supposed to do. So they're going to fight it too.

Then there are legislative bodies. Auditable firmware could not only expose any backdoors that are currently in use, but expose any they try to implement in the future. So they're going to do what politicians do best and try to sweep the whole thing under the rug.

This leaves us, thankfully, with at least one ally: The FCC, who have said they will not be blocking the use of third party firmware on wireless devices, so at least we can still retreat to open sourced firmware wherever possible, instead of relying on others to open up code for us.

Re:Welp

[campuscodi]

These are low-end routers distributed "for free" to new telco customers. Since the modems are free, people eat them up. Telcos usually buy them in boats, not crates. I worked for an ISP where the engineers were sad because the company just bought an entire boat of Huawei routers they had to configure.

Re:Openwrt Has A Show Stopper Design Flaw

[U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M]

No freakin' way. They should switch to systemd instead.

No reference to upgrades

[ruir]

Disclaimer: I worked in the past for a cable operator... What the article does fail to mention is that once there is: 1st) Once there is an update, the ISP provider upgrades all of the modems REMOTELY. 2nd and for more important. Normally the (cable modem) routers are in a protected network with PRIVATE IP addresses. So if you are using a model that does not doubles up as router, you are good. If you do that, the modem usually is crappy and slow anyway, disable the routing function, buy your own router, and put it only doing bridging.