« previous next »
Pages: [1]

Author Topic: FBI asking everyone to power cycle their routers  (Read 2249 times)

ergophobe

  • Inner Core
  • Hero Member
  • *
  • Posts: 9280
    • View Profile
FBI asking everyone to power cycle their routers
« on: May 29, 2018, 10:52:50 PM »
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/27/technology/router-fbi-reboot-malware.html

Seriously? All routers? It would be helpful if they said which routers were targeted.

Anyway, we lose power often enough around here that my routers are almost guaranteed to get power cycled weekly at least
Logged

Brad

  • Inner Core
  • Hero Member
  • *
  • Posts: 4149
  • What, me worry?
    • View Profile
Re: FBI asking everyone to power cycle their routers
« Reply #1 on: May 30, 2018, 12:15:34 AM »
I have to do this with Comcast all the time anyway.  I think Comcast is making a chore into a patriotic duty so they don't get the blame.
Logged

rcjordan

  • I'm consulting the authorities on the subject
  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 16313
  • Debbie says...
    • View Profile
Re: FBI asking everyone to power cycle their routers
« Reply #2 on: May 31, 2018, 12:00:10 AM »
I really don't know. EG posted some little router gizmo here that forces a reboot. I bought one and it worked. I haven't opened the router cabinet in nearly a year.
Logged

ergophobe

  • Inner Core
  • Hero Member
  • *
  • Posts: 9280
    • View Profile
Re: FBI asking everyone to power cycle their routers
« Reply #3 on: May 31, 2018, 02:02:23 AM »
Quote from: rcjordan on May 31, 2018, 12:00:10 AM
I bought one and it worked. I haven't opened the router cabinet in nearly a year.

Glad to hear it.  I used to be down in the storage area rebooting the system all the time (a couple times per month and sometimes more - after every power outage and sometimes for no reason at all) and for $39 (???) or so, poof, the problem went away. I love that thing so much that I forgot I had one until I read this.
Logged

martinibuster

  • Inner Core
  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 180
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: FBI asking everyone to power cycle their routers
« Reply #4 on: June 03, 2018, 04:55:42 PM »
Well, unless the router is off, you can log into your router using the IP addy. Then from the control panel you can reboot the router from there.

How does cycling the router on and off solve anything though? That flushes out the malware?

I'm pretty confident the average person doesn't know how to update their router's software. For starter's, a router's software isn't even called software. It's called Firmware.

So the average person is going think, "Well that's a fine howdy doody! What's a firmware?"

Logged

Drastic

  • Need a bigger hammer...
  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3084
  • Resident Redneck
    • View Profile
Re: FBI asking everyone to power cycle their routers
« Reply #5 on: June 04, 2018, 05:10:13 PM »
>How does cycling the router on and off solve anything though? That flushes out the malware?

What I briefly read said something to the effect of a two tiered hack, and rebooting removes one tier. Not sure how this is supposed to actually help alleviate the problem.
Logged

Rooftop

  • Inner Core
  • Hero Member
  • *
  • Posts: 1915
    • View Profile
Re: FBI asking everyone to power cycle their routers
« Reply #6 on: June 27, 2018, 09:50:18 AM »
"FBI asking everyone to power cycle their routers"

... "to complete installation of their latest trojan"
Logged
Pages: [1]
« previous next »