Virgin Media subscribers' wireless connections are vulnerable to hackers.
Posted by: Timothy Weaver on 03/10/2014 03:57 PM
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Identified by IT consultant Paul Moore,Virgin Media Superhub router/modem combo devices leak users' passwords every time they reboot.
Moore explains: "After the seven-second window, the router takes the Wi-Fi card offline, enables encryption and brings the card back up. That’d be great, if we hadn’t already broadcast the encryption key to everyone nearby.”
The vulnerability is limited to the Netgear VMDG485 hub, supplied to Virgin Media customers as SuperHub2.
the attack is easily prevented by changing the default password.
A Virgin Media spokesperson added:
A potential issue has recently been brought to our attention which, while not affecting the majority of the equipment we supply, could allow someone in physical proximity to a Netgear VMDG485 device to gain access to its administrative settings and WiFi passphrase. To do so is relatively complex and is easily prevented by changing the default password, which we encourage all our customers to do when they are installed. If anyone is unsure whether they have made this change, instructions on our website provide an easy guide on how this can be done at any time. The security of our services is of the highest importance and we have been working with our supplier to develop and test a software update which is close to being issued.
The vulnerability is limited to the Netgear VMDG485 hub, supplied to Virgin Media customers as SuperHub2.
the attack is easily prevented by changing the default password.
A Virgin Media spokesperson added:
A potential issue has recently been brought to our attention which, while not affecting the majority of the equipment we supply, could allow someone in physical proximity to a Netgear VMDG485 device to gain access to its administrative settings and WiFi passphrase. To do so is relatively complex and is easily prevented by changing the default password, which we encourage all our customers to do when they are installed. If anyone is unsure whether they have made this change, instructions on our website provide an easy guide on how this can be done at any time. The security of our services is of the highest importance and we have been working with our supplier to develop and test a software update which is close to being issued.
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