Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

Unauthenticated Flaw Allows Full Router, Network TakeoverA hidden backdoor, disclosed by CERT/CC and found in multiple firmware versions made by Chinese manufacturer Tenda, bypasses authentication and could grant attackers administrative access. Researchers are reporting exploitation and an Nmap script is making vulnerable devices easier to identify.

Unauthenticated Flaw Allows Full Router, Network TakeoverA hidden backdoor, disclosed by CERT/CC and found in multiple firmware versions made by Chinese manufacturer Tenda, bypasses authentication and could grant attackers administrative access. Researchers are reporting exploitation and an Nmap script is making vulnerable devices easier to identify.

Black Duck Researchers Discover Flaw in Widely Used Broadcom ChipsetA flaw in Broadcom chipsets commonly used in wireless routers allows attackers to repeatedly knock offline the 5 gigahertz band, no matter how strong the security settings, say researchers.

Researchers Suspect a Chinese ROB-Building OperationSuspected Chinese cyberespionage hackers have commandeered tens of thousands of Asus routers in an operation showing a heavy emphasis on infecting devices stationed in Taiwan. The campaign tracks with reports that Beijing is actively pressing unpatched routers into ORB networks.

Pedestrians Uniquely Refract Directional Radio SignalsThe way you use your walk - specifically when striding through a Wi-Fi field shaped by directional antennae - can reveal who you are, found researchers who investigated the surveillance potential of wireless routers. "Every router is a potential surveillance device," say researchers.

PolarNet Has Hallmarks of an Operational Relay BoxNearly 40,000 enterprise-grade devices and consumer-class routers, IP cameras and more are infected with malware researchers codenamed PolarEdge, controlled by a botnet of the same name, which experts suspect is designed to hide traffic tied to cyberespionage operations.

Persistent Attack Grants Remote SSH Access via ExploitSomeone - possibly nation-state hackers - appears to be constructing a botnet from thousands of Asus routers in hacking that survives a firmware patch and reboots. Nearly 9,000 routers have been compromised and the number is growing, say researchers.

Also: Researchers Bypass GitHub Copilot's Protections, Deloitte Pays $5M for BreachThis week: A hacker claims to have 20 million OpenAI logins, Sweden clears ship in Baltic cable damage, researchers find ways to bypass GitHub Copilot's protections, Netgear patches router flaws, undetectable Mac backdoor raises alarms, Spain nabs hacker, and Deloitte pays $5M for RIBridges breach.

Also: Researchers Bypass GitHub Copilot's Protections, Deloitte Pays $5M for BreachThis week: Sweden clears ship in Baltic cable damage, researchers find ways to bypass GitHub Copilot's protections, Netgear patches router flaws, undetectable Mac backdoor raises alarms, cyberattacks target aviation, Spain nabs international hacker, and Deloitte pays $5M for RIBridges breach.

VPN Endpoints, Wireless Routers and Network-Attached Storage Devices Are TargetsOperators behind a mysterious botnet named for a TCP routing port number are expanding the universe of targeted devices and taking steps to hide their infrastructure, warn Sekoia researchers. The 7777 - or Quad7 - botnet appears to have emerged in 2023.

Starlink Routers in Ukraine and Gaza Trackable via Apple WPS, Researchers WarnApple's Wi-Fi-based positioning system can be abused to track the live location of various types of devices around the globe, including Starlink routers in war zones, researchers warn. Until Apple puts in place more defenses, they say the system will continue to pose a "large-scale privacy threat."

Starlink Routers in Ukraine and Gaza Trackable via Apple WPS, Researchers WarnApple's WiFi-based positioning system can be abused to track the live location of various types of devices around the globe, including Starlink routers in war zones, researchers warn. Until Apple puts in place more defenses, they say the system will continue to pose a "large-scale privacy threat."

FortiGuard Labs Identifies Botnet Exploiting Decade-Old D-Link VulnerabilityHackers are taking advantage of D-Link home routers left unpatched for a decade and turning them into a newly formed botnet researchers dubbed "Goldoon." The vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary commands remotely via the proprietary Home Network Administration Protocol.