Millions of broadband users are at risk for a new kind of attack called drive-by pharming, which targets password weaknesses in the victim's router, researchers from Symantec Corp. and Indiana University warned Thursday The threat is greatest for those who don't change their default passwords after using them to bring the router online. According to an informal study by Indiana University, up to 50% of home broadband users fail to reset the password after installing their router.

"What worries me if that it's so simple for people to fall for this kind of attack," said Zully Ramzan, senior principal researcher for Symantec Security Response. "Most people connect to the Internet through broadband today, but they don't adequately protect their routers."

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