- cross-posted to:
- technology@beehaw.org
- cross-posted to:
- technology@beehaw.org
TP-link is reportedly being investigated over national security concerns linked to vulnerabilities in its very popular routers.
TP-link is reportedly being investigated over national security concerns linked to vulnerabilities in its very popular routers.
Running OpenWRT is generally a good idea. I’m not gonna lie and say it’s easy to setup. But it’s worth it.
It’s a good idea, but there’s going to be firmware at lower levels (roughly the BIOS) that could still be compromised. It’s best to just not buy Chinese hardware designed and manufactured by a Chinese company with no western involvement when you can avoid it.
This didn’t even occur to me when I bought my new router recently. I just went with one of the best-reviewed models that had all the features and speed I needed.
Did you get a TP Link?
Last time I was in the market, they were a top pick.
An even better way is to leave vulnerable pieces in all parts of the firmware / software stack. E.g. old version of SSH with a known vulnerability or two, old web server, etc. Then just exploit as needed.
The examples you gave are all at the OS level and installing OpenWRT would fix them. The firmware/BIOS level is much more custom and can be susceptible to attacks the OS is completely unaware of (effectively pre-installed rootkits). Hence why I mentioned it may not be enough to install OpenWRT.
Yes of course, you’re right. The point I’m making is that wherever you’re putting in backdoors, instead of backdoors, you can just leave unlatched vulnerabilities. Gives you solid plausible deniability.