Is Your Router Opening Your Business to Cybercrime? You Might Have Been Given the Misfortune Cookie!

Author: Joe Martin, Date: 2014-12-30

A critical flaw has been discovered in over 12 million routers that could open up a network to easy hijacking by cybercriminals. Is your business safe from cybercrime? Find out for certain with the security experts at Compunet InfoTech – call us at (604) 986-8170 today for a vulnerability assessment.

The security researchers at Check Point Software Technologies have identified a vulnerability in many small office / home office (SOHO) routers that is incredibly easy to exploit. Over 12 million routers in 189 countries have already been determined to be affected by the flaw, and more are being discovered now.

Dubbed the “Misfortune Cookie” by Check Point, the flaw is ridiculously simple to exploit:

• An attacker simply needs to send a single packet to your public IT address. No complex hacking tools or techniques are required – just a modern web browser.

That’s it. That’s all it could take to compromise your business. Essentially, the flaw is due to an error in the HTTP cookie management system in the software of the routers, allowing attacks to send a specially designed cookie to the public IP address of a router. Once the cookie is in, the attacker can take complete control of the network with full administrative privileges. This could allow all sorts of potential cybercrime, including:

• Theft of usernames and passwords.
• Monitoring and theft of business and personal data, including sensitive financial information.
• Easier attacking and hijacking of devices connected to the network, including smartphones and tablets.
• The easy ability to install malware and use business computers for further cybercrime.

This flaw has been in existence since 2002, and affects over 200 different router models, including TP-Link, Huawei, SmartAX, Zyxel, Netcomm, Edimax, and more. You can find a full list of compromised devices here.

What Can You Do?

If your device is included on the compromised list, you should immediately contact your router manufacturer for a firmware upgrade to address the flaw. If you’re not able to connect with the manufacturer, you should immediately contact us for assistance. The window for cybercriminals to exploit Misfortune Cookie is closing, and that means they will be looking for any and all opportunities to get whatever benefits they can from any vulnerable systems they can find.

Don’t take your security for granted! To discover if you’re at risk from Misfortune Cookie or any other security vulnerabilities, contact us today.