Home Network Security: Risks of Default Passwords and Attack Methods

Home computer users who leave default passwords on network hardware unchanged could be at risk from attack say security experts. Researchers created an attack that surreptitiously redirects a user to nefarious sites once they have visited a booby-trapped webpage.

The attack works by re-writing the address book in network hardware to point victims to the scam sites. About 50% of users leave default passwords unchanged, suggests research.

The theoretical attack was explored in a paper written by researchers from the University of Indiana and security firm Symantec.