Maybe the FCC was onto something: These routers are phoning home to China with a secret backdoor
Of course, because they predate the ban, the FCC continues to permit their sale.
A recent report has revealed a significant security flaw in Zbtlink-made routers, which are programmed to constantly communicate with a predetermined list of servers, many of which are traced back to China. Upon establishing a connection, the routers provide full root access without any form of authentication. This issue came to light in the spring, following the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) announcement of a comprehensive ban on new routers manufactured in foreign countries, including those used by internet service providers (ISPs) to link customers' devices to Wi-Fi.
While the ban was ostensibly meant to safeguard national security, the discovery of this new vulnerability in Chinese-produced routers might make the FCC's actions appear more justified. Jacob Baines, a contributor at VulnCheck, has conducted an analysis of routers produced by Zbtlink and sold under both Zbtlink and Wiflyer brands.
Although these brands are not prominent players in the router market, they are still available for purchase through US retailers such as Amazon and have been on the market for quite some time, thereby having ample opportunity to establish a presence in the market.
Written by urgent.news from Android Authority's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
