

These tools from the NSA and CIA control entire networks of infected routers, transforming them into advanced, on-site wireless espionage devices.

A skilled attacker can then target the existing firmware that runs the router in a practice called "rootkitting" in which custom firmware is dropped into the router to enable advanced malicious features.ĭepending on the goals and resources of an attacker, this can include spying on the user and any connected devices, injecting malware into the browser to exploit connected devices, enabling advanced spear-phishing attacks, and routing illegal traffic for criminal activities through exploited routers.

Router exploitation works by breaching the Wi-Fi security of a router, bypassing the administrative login page, and accessing administrative features.
