Routers are network gateways whose flaws, misconfigurations, or exposed interfaces can enable unauthorized access, interception, or service disruption.
Search across headline titles and summaries.
Background for this topic.
Routers are network devices that forward packets between separate networks, using destination addresses to choose a path. A home router usually connects a local network to the internet and may also provide wireless access, address assignment, network address translation, firewall rules, VPN termination, or DNS forwarding. Enterprise routers can connect internal segments, data centers, and remote sites.
In security, a router is both a traffic-control point and an attack surface. Vulnerable firmware, exposed administrative services, weak credentials, or unnecessary remote management can let an attacker alter routing, redirect traffic, or use the device to reach other systems; misconfigured rules can expose internal services. Reduce risk by keeping firmware supported and updated, restricting management to trusted networks, using strong unique authentication, disabling unneeded services, separating networks, and reviewing logs and configurations. During an incident, router configuration and routing or DNS changes can provide useful evidence, while tested backups help restore trusted connectivity.
The China-linked advanced persistent threat (APT) actor known as Salt Typhoon has continued its attacks targeting networks across the world, including organizations in the telecommunications, government, transportation, lodging, and military infrastructure sectors