Linksys Smart Router Vulnerability
By Connor Newman · Module IT
It has been discovered that over 25,000 Linksys smart routers are believed to have a vulnerability which means sensitive data can be accessed by unauthorised parties.
What Data is at Risk?
The routers are not just leaking MAC addresses. In more severe cases the exposed data includes device names, operating systems, firewall settings, and firmware details. This means affected routers are open to data thieves and botnet setups.
The Vulnerability
The security flaw responsible is CVE-2014-8244, originally disclosed in 2014. Even though a patch was released at the time, the issue remained active on many routers, particularly those running older firmware or with manually disabled firewalls.
Linksys Response
Linksys stated they were unable to reproduce the vulnerability on devices using the latest firmware with default settings, and believe affected devices are either using older firmware or have had their firewalls manually disabled. They strongly encouraged customers to update to the latest firmware and ensure the firewall is enabled.
What You Should Do
- Update your router firmware to the latest version immediately
- Ensure the router firewall is enabled
- Check your router security settings regularly
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