F.B.I.’s Urgent Request: Reboot Your Router to Stop Russia-Linked Malware

The New York Times ^ | May 27, 2018 | Louis Lucero II

[Flick Lives]

Hoping to thwart a sophisticated malware system linked to Russia that has infected hundreds of thousands of internet routers, the F.B.I. has made an urgent request to anybody with one of the devices: Turn it off, and then turn it back on.

The malware is capable of blocking web traffic, collecting information that passes through home and office routers, and disabling the devices entirely, the bureau announced on Friday.

A global network of hundreds of thousands of routers is already under the control of the Sofacy Group, the Justice Department said last week. That group, which is also known as A.P.T. 28 and Fancy Bear and believed to be directed by Russia’s military intelligence agency, hacked the Democratic National Committee ahead of the 2016 presidential election, according to American and European intelligence agencies.

The F.B.I. has several recommendations for any owner of a small office or home office router. The simplest thing to do is reboot the device, which will temporarily disrupt the malware if it is present. Users are also advised to upgrade the device’s firmware and to select a new secure password. If any remote-management settings are in place, the F.B.I. suggests disabling them.

[Flick Lives]

The FBI is blowing smoke. I don't know what the motive is, but there is a whole lot of B.S. in what the FBI is saying. If a router was "infected", whatever that means, as routers have, by design, limited capabilities; turning the router off and on again would do absolutely nothing.

Most home users have not enabled remote-management on their routers, and those that do are likely savvy enough to secure access with a decent password.

To crack Wi-Fi access, the hacker would have to be within a few hundred feet of your house for starters. Let me check. Nope. I don't see any "Russian" looking suspicious characters parked out on the street.

[ransomnote]

I so distrust the FBI that I just assumed they are trying to launch their own malware and that requires a reboot...

[Robert DeLong]

If you find that doesn’t work, then they suggest calling roto rooter.

[God luvs America]

agreed...i’ve never heard of or saw “malware protection” for a router...most routers come from your carrier, like verizon...if there was some major emergency they should be able to remotely take care of the situation...

[Flick Lives]

I so distrust the FBI that I just assumed they are trying to launch their own malware and that requires a reboot...

...a reboot to install the FBI hack! That actually would be a pretty sneaky way to monitor all the traffic going in and out of the router.

[bgill]

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!! Sure, thing. I’m on it. Yeppers.

Not. No way. Likely their way to get in the backdoor of your computer. Just like all the Windows updates.

[Steely Tom]

This sounds like some kind of farce.

And yes, I agree, I won’t be surprised to find out that rebooting your router actually launches some sort of FBI malware.

[Lurkina.n.Learnin]

What do you think? Real or RUSSIA, Russia, Russia hype?

[Kalamata]

>>I so distrust the FBI that I just assumed they are trying to launch their own malware and that requires a reboot...
*********************************************************
This makes the most sense.

[Lazamataz]

I actually had a very nasty virus in 2010 that lodged itself in my router. I’d flash my computer to a new OS and immediately be reinfected. It put the pernicious code in the firmware. Yes, it is possible.

The FBI is not blowing smoke here.

I had to factory-reset my router to get rid of the virus (as well as another OS drop on my computer).

[max americana]

“Reboot Your Router to Stop Russia-Linked Malware”

This is so damn stupid everyone now knows this clowns still have obamatard minions working there.

[P.O.E.]

I don't see any "Russian" looking suspicious characters parked out on the street.

Yeah but there's this guy on my porch - making a hell of a racket

[blu]

Snork!!!!

LOL!!!

FBI!!!!

[tinyowl]

Most likely a lie to lend credence to the Russia threat right at the time the FBI's big lie is hemorrhaging. It's actually very smart of them ... in the sense that liars can be smart.

I'm gonna give this dubious warning 4 out of 5 Goebbels.

[joma89]

what happens after the FBI loses the public trust? Should we ever trust them?

JoMa

[Dacula]

bm

[moovova]

Russia's colluding with my router?

Collude this, Mr Feeb!!

[Rashputin]

". . . trying to launch their own malware and that requires a reboot..."

Or cover their own tracks with a reboot that keeps anyone from looking too closely at the malware in the routers.

Given what's already known, the FBI and a ton of other government agencies can get into anything out there whenever they want. If they have something that successfully got into a lot of routers without triggering any alarms in the security crowd that watches for such things, they sure don't want it found and studied.

[tomkat]

THIS !  I so distrust the FBI that I just assumed they are trying to launch their own malware and that requires a reboot...

[Mogger]

Most likely a lie to lend credence to the Russia threat right at the time the FBI's big lie is hemorrhaging.

That and to make it appear the FBI is serving us by "saving" us rather then being leftist hacks.