FBI Warns Hackers Are Weaponizing Old Routers, Consider One Of These Upgrades
Are you holding on to an aging wireless router in hopes of stretching out the bang for your bucks? That's admirable—no sense in throwing away and filling up a landfill with electronics that are still useful—but depending on the model, it can also pose a security threat. So says the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which has issued a warning over several end-of-life (EoL) router models being targeted by hackers.
"Threat actors exploit known vulnerabilities to compromise EoL routers, install malware, and use the routers in a botnet they control to launch coordinated attacks or sell access to the devices as proxy service," the FBI states in a security advisory. "The FBI recommends users replace compromised devices with newer models or prevent infection by disabling remote administration and rebooting the router."
The FBI highlighted more than a dozen (or exactly a baker's dozen) older router models that are now vulnerable to hackers. Here's the list...
- Cisco Linksys E1200
- Cisco Linksys E2500
- Cisco Linksys E1000
- Cisco Linksys E4200
- Cisco Linksys E1500
- Cisco Linksys E300
- Cisco Linksys E3200
- Cisco Linksys WRT320N
- Cisco Linksys E1550
- Cisco Linksys WRT610 (pictured up top)
- Cisco Linksys E100
- Cisco Linksys M10
- Cisco Linksys WRT310N
All of the listed models were released several years ago and are no longer receiving security and/or firmware updates. According to the FBI, hackers are actively compromising these models and then selling access on the 5Socks and Anyproxy networks, which can then be exploited for nefarious purposes.
"The malware is distributed by targeting vulnerable devices connected to the internet with remote administration turned on. Even with the remote administration password protected, the threat actors are able to bypass this authentication and gain shell access to the routers," the FBI states.
Looking at the list, it almost feels like the FBI has an axe to grind with Cisco/Linksys, though we doubt that's actually the case. More likely, these models are more widely used and therefore targeted more broadly by hackers, though that's just speculation on our part.
Either way, if you own one of the above models—or any model that is no longer receiving vendor support—the FBI recommends upgrading to a newer model.
This doesn't have to be an expensive affair. We found several much newer models on sale on Amazon, including some affordable Wi-Fi 7 models. Here are some of them...
- TP-Link AXE5400 Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6E: $129.99 (35% off)
- TP-Link Archer BE6500 Dual-Band Wi-Fi 7: $149.99 (17% off)
- Netgear Nighthawk BE3600 (RS90) Dual-Band Wi-Fi 7: $109.99 (15% off)
- ASUS RT-BE58U Dual-Band Wi-Fi 7: $139.99 (18% off)
- Amazon Eero 6 Mesh Wi-Fi: $74.99 (17% off)
We recommend going with at least a Wi-Fi 6 model, and preferably Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7, as they're more likely to supported for a longer period of time (since they're newer). You can also reference Amazon's list of best-selling routers to see what's popular at the moment. And if you're looking for a more premium option, TP-Link's BE19000 Tri-Band Wi-Fi 7 router is fully loaded and on sale for $349.99 at Amazon (42% off).
