Toss routers with hardcoded passwords, expert says
Sometimes it is best to toss security-challenged technology, and that's the recommendation experts are giving to small businesses using a flawed router from a China-based manufacturer.
Trend Micro reported this week that routers sold under the brand name of Netcore in China and Netis outside of the country contained a "backdoor" that could be easily accessed by a hacker to monitor Internet traffic.
The door is an open UDP port, 53413, which can be queried through the router's externally accessible IP address. The key is a password hardcoded into the devices' firmware. All the devices appeared to use the same password, Trend Micro researcher Tim Yeh wrote. A scan of the Internet revealed more than 2 million IP addresses with the open port.
