Multiple cable modem models from various manufacturers found vulnerable to takeover attacks
Hundreds of millions of cable modems from various manufacturers may be susceptible to a critical vulnerability that can enable attackers to intercept people’s private messages or redirect their internet traffic, new research has found.
Tracked as CVE-2019-19494 and nicknamed Cable Haunt, the vulnerability is estimated to have affected nearly all cable modems in Europe until recently, with many still remaining at risk. How so? The researchers from Denmark-based security consultancy Lyrebird – who discovered the security hole and detailed their findings in a paper available for download from this dedicated website – put it this way:
“There are an estimated 200 million cable modems in Europe alone. With almost no cable modem tested being secure without a firmware update, the number of modems initially vulnerable in Europe is estimated to be close to this number,” said the company. Some internet service providers (ISPs) were recently notified of the issue and shipped out firmware to address the problem. Either way, it is strongly suspected that there are more vulnerable modems throughout the world.
The ghost in the modem
The flaw resides in reference software that runs the spectrum analyzer tool on chips made by semiconductor company Broadcom. The spectrum analyzer component, which is tasked with pinpointing and debugging problems in modem cable connection, is used by various cable modem manufacturers in their devices’ firmware – hence the apparently vast number of vulnerable modems.
While the spectrum analyzer is exposed to the local network, attackers could still abuse Cable Haunt for remote access from an ..
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