The vulnerability of Netgear password could lead to botnet-style attacks

You can exploit those vulnerabilities in two ways. If the attacker has physical access then they can access the router and exploit local vulnerabilities. The second and more dangerous way is to remotely exploit the vulnerability. Netgear routers come with remote control capabilities- in which a user may access their router from outside their network. By default, the remote control is switched off on NETGEAR routers; however, if you own one of these tools, you can double-check your settings to ensure that this feature is effectively turned off.

Check your administration panel for a firmware update to see if there is a patch available after you have ensured remote management is off. Netgear said 31 of their routers are vulnerable, of which 18 have been fixed. To find out which routers are affected, you can visit their support page and download the Firmware patch.

This type of vulnerability could provide attackers with access not only to your router but also to all that is connected to it. We reported on a massive cyberattack in October 2016 that we created a botnet out of connected devices. That botnet then attacked one of the world's largest DNS server companies which took hours of offline to many popular, mainstream websites and services.

Secure that which you can:

Protecting what comes into contact with your network is the best way to defend all your devices. Essentially, the router is the front door to your online world. Over the past year at Norton, we've kept a close eye on the threat landscape on the Internet of Things. We 're seeing IoT devices are now being targeted every two minutes on average. We are thus proud to announce the brand-new Norton Core router. Norton Core is your "Digital Deadbolt" to your wired home and is available for pre-order now. The first and only high-performance, stable router bundled into it, with Norton security.

Another effective way of getting ahead of the bad guys is to be part of your own Internet defense. Educate yourself about the threats and how they can affect you out there. Use safety software, research and secure your devices, and tell your friends to do the same! When more of us stay sheltered together, attackers will have fewer targets to exploit.