Attackers steal passwords by rerouting users through fraudulent sites

Last week at the Virus Bulletin conference in Dallas, statistics provided by Brazil’s Computer Emergency Response Team showed more than 4.5 million users have fallen victim to a new exploit in DSL modems. This vulnerability allowed attackers to steal passwords used to remotely log in to and control the target devices. Once in control, the attackers reconfigured the modems to use specific system servers which would reroute the victim to fraudulent websites. These fake sites would then be used to install malicious programs and steal personal information such as online banking credentials and other online assets.

This attack was allowed to go on unhindered over the course of several months, affecting millions of individuals and business users, the result of what some are calling a “perfect storm.” Many are blaming the inaction of multiple key players, including ISPs, modem manufacturers, and the Brazilian agency that is supposed to approve network devises for use. So far, the attacks have been recorded on modems from six different manufacturers, however, the complete list of affected manufacturers and models is still unknown.

We all put so much emphasis on keeping our computers secure and password protected that we may sometimes forget that our modems and routers are also vulnerable to attackers attempting to steal banking passwords and online credentials.

Original article by Dan Goodin.
Read the full story here.