Is it possible to do a succesfull penetrationtest from the internet on a router network?

Question

If it is possible to break in a non OS operated routernetwork. How do they do it and how do I secure myself with it?

(note: with latest patches, Windows XP operated systems, Firmware updated, Firewall (updated), Antivirus (updated)) No forward routing on router enabled.

Thanks a lot,

dishwasher

Answer 1

Every router has an OS. It has to. Some router OSs are more secure than others. Crackers use tools to attempt to fingerprint the router and identify the make, model and OS version. Knowing this, they attempt to exploit known vulnerabilities in the router OS to bypass it.

Using a NAT firewall like most home and small office installations is actually pretty secure as the inside network uses private IP addresses which will not route across the internet. Even if a cracker gets past the router they have no place to go although they can shut down your internet access or possibly kill the router if they mess with the firmware.

The biggest threat is where you are forwarding ports to a machine inside your network. The cracker will try to exploit known vulnerabilities in the OS of the machine that the port is forwarded to. This bypasses the protection offered by private IP addressing. So forward your ports with care!

The best defense is to keep router firmware up to date and keep port forwarding to an absolute minimum. You should also disable Universal Plug & Play on the router unless you absolutely need it. UP&P has known vulnerabilities, especially if you're running a wireless network.

Finally, keep your router secure! Set a highly complex password on it and change it peiodically. Change the admin account name if possible. Disable WAN access and limit LAN access to only your personal machine if possible.

Sorry, but I'm not going to go into any details on the tools that are used to hack or crack into systems.