Quote
...Wi-Fi router manufacturers are neglecting to update their firmware for known vulnerabilities, and the problem is likely more pervasive for other IoT devices. When these security lapses occur, firmware can be fairly easily exploited by hackers with nefarious intentions...
...Based on Insignary's Clarity scanning tool, our analysis shows that of the 186 sampled routers, 155 (83%) were found to have vulnerabilities to potential cyberattacks (see Figure 1) in the router firmware, with an average of 172 vulnerabilities per router, or 186 vulnerabilities per router for the identified 155 routers. In total, there was a staggering number of 32,003 known vulnerabilities found in the sample....
The results of this study suggest that the most popular Wi-Fi routers in peoples' homes are inadequately updated for security, leaving IoT devices open to attacks with potentially disastrous results. Simply resetting your router is not enough. Keeping firmware patched for known online threats may be an expense for manufacturers, but not doing so leaves consumers to collectively bear the burden of potentially much higher costs from cybercrime.
Each of the 32,003 vulnerabilities identified in this report put consumers, our infrastructure, and our economy at risk. If this growing threat is to be countered effectively, manufacturers must commit more resources to identify and mitigate open source vulnerabilities on their devices and consumers must remain vigilant for potential threats that could compromise their personal data. With the IoT market expanding quickly for both residential and industrial applications, the need to secure firmware cannot be overstated...
...Internet-connected devices are now nearly ubiquitous in the United States and routers are a central point for connecting these IoT devices.......The security we want for our devices and software is rather simple. We want these electronic devices to be free from intrusion, and we want the data to be secure, not corruptible and certainly not distributable without the owner's authorization. Yet, our results show that these devices are highly vulnerable, and are becoming an increasingly attractive target for cyberattacks...
...Symantec's annual Internet Security Threat Report found a 600% increase in IoT attacks in 2017. Routers were the most frequently exploited type of device, making up 33.6% of IoT attacks...
...The 2017 Annual Cybercrime Report published by Cybersecurity Ventures predicts IoT devices to become the major technology crime driver in 2018, and that cybercrime damages will cost the world economy $6 trillion annually by 2021...
http://www.theamericanconsumer.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/FINAL-Wi-Fi-Router-Vulnerabilities.pdf
Is the federal government doing anything to protect US citizens from this type of cybercrime? Or is every individual expected to be their own cybersecurity expert?
...Wi-Fi router manufacturers are neglecting to update their firmware for known vulnerabilities, and the problem is likely more pervasive for other IoT devices. When these security lapses occur, firmware can be fairly easily exploited by hackers with nefarious intentions...
...Based on Insignary's Clarity scanning tool, our analysis shows that of the 186 sampled routers, 155 (83%) were found to have vulnerabilities to potential cyberattacks (see Figure 1) in the router firmware, with an average of 172 vulnerabilities per router, or 186 vulnerabilities per router for the identified 155 routers. In total, there was a staggering number of 32,003 known vulnerabilities found in the sample....
The results of this study suggest that the most popular Wi-Fi routers in peoples' homes are inadequately updated for security, leaving IoT devices open to attacks with potentially disastrous results. Simply resetting your router is not enough. Keeping firmware patched for known online threats may be an expense for manufacturers, but not doing so leaves consumers to collectively bear the burden of potentially much higher costs from cybercrime.
Each of the 32,003 vulnerabilities identified in this report put consumers, our infrastructure, and our economy at risk. If this growing threat is to be countered effectively, manufacturers must commit more resources to identify and mitigate open source vulnerabilities on their devices and consumers must remain vigilant for potential threats that could compromise their personal data. With the IoT market expanding quickly for both residential and industrial applications, the need to secure firmware cannot be overstated...
...Internet-connected devices are now nearly ubiquitous in the United States and routers are a central point for connecting these IoT devices.......The security we want for our devices and software is rather simple. We want these electronic devices to be free from intrusion, and we want the data to be secure, not corruptible and certainly not distributable without the owner's authorization. Yet, our results show that these devices are highly vulnerable, and are becoming an increasingly attractive target for cyberattacks...
...Symantec's annual Internet Security Threat Report found a 600% increase in IoT attacks in 2017. Routers were the most frequently exploited type of device, making up 33.6% of IoT attacks...
...The 2017 Annual Cybercrime Report published by Cybersecurity Ventures predicts IoT devices to become the major technology crime driver in 2018, and that cybercrime damages will cost the world economy $6 trillion annually by 2021...
http://www.theamericanconsumer.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/FINAL-Wi-Fi-Router-Vulnerabilities.pdf
Is the federal government doing anything to protect US citizens from this type of cybercrime? Or is every individual expected to be their own cybersecurity expert?
Last edited: