Your Wi-Fi router may be the least glamorous gadget in your home.It sits on a shelf, blinks in the corner and only gets attention when Netflix freezes.
However, that little box controls a lot more than you may think. The FBI and Justice Department say a Russian military intelligence hacking group abused vulnerable small office and home office routers to help run an espionage operation.The group is known as APT28, Fancy Bear and Forest Blizzard.
It has been linked to Russia's GRU military intelligence agency.The hackers changed router settings so internet requests could flow through servers they controlled.That gave them a way to watch for valuable targets, redirect traffic and steal sensitive login information.
The Justice Department and FBI say they disrupted the U.S.portion of the network in April.
That is good news.Still, law enforcement cannot walk into your house, update your router or change the password printed on an old sticker.
That part is on you.Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy ReportFBI WARNS OF HACKERS EXPLOITING OUTDATED ROUTERS.CHECK YOURS NOWWires are connected to a router to maintain internet connectivity.
(Wolf Von Dewitz/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)This attack focused on SOHO routers.That stands for small office and home office routers.
In other words, these are the kinds of devices used by small businesses, remote workers and some homes.The Justice Department says the hackers used weaknesses in older routers to change DNS settings.DNS is like the address book for the internet.
When you type a website name, DNS helps your device find the right online destination.If hackers control that address book, they can send certain requests through their own servers.
That can let them spot valuable targets and try to steal passwords, authentication tokens, emails or browsing data.That to me is scary because the victim may not see anything obvious.Your laptop may still connect.
Your phone may still browse.Your router may still look normal.
Meanw...