News Researcher Finds Hole In Popular Linksys Router

And no, it isn't for cooling purposes. This from ExtremeTech:

An independent security researcher has found a vulnerability that affects the Linksys WRT54G 802.11g WiFi router, giving access to the device's configuration pages through an easily deduced password.

Alan Rateliff, in a posting to the BugTraq mailing list, said that the WRT54G router provides administrative access by default to ports 80 and 443 on the WAN. The user can use the admin pages to configure the device himself. According to reports, the username defaults to "admin".

"The implications are obvious: out of the box the unit gives full access to its administration from the WAN using the default or, if the user even bothered to change it, an easily guessed password," Radcliffe wrote.

More here

If you've got one, change that password.

 

It's not just Wi-Fi routers that have this default password. I have just a standard Linksys router and the password is still set to admin. I think if I had changed it there's no way I'd remember it by now. In fact the other day I needed to get to the settings pages but couldn't remember the password. admin was just a guess and happened to be correct . I guess it depends how much security you want.

 

It's more of a problem on a wi-fi router than on a wired one. With a wi-fi, any script kiddy can drive by with a laptop and hijack your connection.

 

Exactly, the wired routers don't allow external access through that port unless you set it up for it. You would have to break into the house and jack into the router to gain access.

I'm really surprised nobody caught this earlier, what the article is refering to. Maybe its too obvious.