By Laura Kemp • Published: 19 Nov 2021 • 11:47
Serious security issue in millions of Sky routers
A security company has revealed that around six million Sky routers had a serious software bug that could have let hackers access and take over home networks.
The issue has now been fixed, however, it took Sky 18 months to address the problem.
Anyone who had not changed their router’s default password could have been vulnerable.
Sky said an update of this scale took time and added: “We take the safety and security of our customers very seriously.”
“After being alerted to the risk, we began work on finding a remedy for the problem and we can confirm that a fix has been delivered to all Sky-manufactured products.”
Affected models were:
However, the last two devices on the list came with an admin password that was randomly generated, which would have made it harder for hackers to access.
As well as this, around 1 per cent of Sky’s routers are not actually made by the company itself.
Customers who have a Sky router are able to ask for a free replacement.
The flaw in the software code was discovered by researcher Raf Fini from Pen Test Partners. Fini found that hackers could reconfigure a home router just by directing the user to a malicious website via a phishing email.
They could then “take over someone’s online life,” stealing passwords for banking and other sensitive information, Pen Test Partner’s Ken Munro told BBC News.
“While the coronavirus pandemic put many internet service providers under pressure, as people moved to working from home, taking well over a year to fix an easily exploited security flaw simply isn’t acceptable,” he said.
Mr Munro has advised anyone with a Sky router to change the default password.
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Originally from UK, Laura is based in Axarquia and is a writer for the Euro Weekly News covering news and features. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.
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