Engadget

Researcher will enable hackers to take over millions of home routers

Sean Hollister — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 06:33:00 EST

Cisco and company, you've got approximately seven days before a security researcher rains down exploits on your web-based home router parade. Seismic's Craig Heffner claims he's got a tool that can hack "millions" of gateways using a new spin on the age-old DNS rebinding vulnerability, and plans to release it into the wild at the Black Hat 2010 conference next week. He's already tested his hack on thirty different models, of which more than half were vulnerable, including two versions of the ubiquitous Linksys WRT54G (pictured above) and devices running certain DD-WRT and OpenWRT Linux-based firmware. To combat the hack, the usual precautions apply -- for the love of Mitnick, change your default password! -- but Heffner believes the only real fix will come by prodding manufacturers into action. See a list of easily compromised routers at the more coverage link.

Researcher will enable hackers to take over millions of home routers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 06:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DisplayLink for Linux turns a humble wireless router into a beautiful PC

Paul Miller — Mon, 18 May 2009 17:12:00 EST

Our inner nerd was already completely thrilled at the release of DisplayLink driver source code for Linux, but he's positively frothing at this elegant implementation. It's simply a Linux-based, OpenWRT router (the ASUS WL-500g Premium, to be specific) with a Samsung U70 USB display and a keyboard plugged in, but the DisplayLink driver turns what would be otherwise a headless, networking-only server into a totally elegant PC. Sure, that 300MHz embedded processor won't be powering past your Atom-powered machines or pretty much any other "modern" hardware, but it's basically a tinker's dream -- suddenly almost anything with a USB port and a processor somewhere within it could become a computer with the right amount of know-how.

Filed under: Desktops, Displays, Networking

DisplayLink for Linux turns a humble wireless router into a beautiful PC originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 May 2009 17:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Build a DIY music streamer out of a NetGear WGT634U

Nilay Patel — Fri, 18 May 2007 02:51:00 EST

Sure, you can score any number of network media streamers for about $100, but none of those will teach you anything -- except maybe that there's too many other Wi-Fi networks in your building for it to work. On the other hand, England's Rob Hardwick says you can build a wireless music streamer with an LCD screen and remote for around £90 ($178). Using the guts of a NetGear WGT634U, the open-source OpenWrt firmware, and some creative cablemaking, Hardwick hacked up a pretty decent remote-controlled streamer. While it may not be the prettiest thing we've ever seen, Hardwick says the knowledge gained during the build can be "extremely invaluable." Isn't that always the case? Hit the read link for the complete breakdown.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Wireless

Build a DIY music streamer out of a NetGear WGT634U originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 May 2007 02:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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