All the routers affected by VPNFilter malware

In May, Symantec warned about new malware, known as VPNFilter, which targets routers and network-attached storage devices.

VPNFilter can knock out and kill infected devices, and unlike most IoT threats, it can survive a reboot.

VPNFilter has various malicious capabilities, which include spying on traffic routed through the device.

“Its creators appear to have a particular interest in SCADA industrial control systems, creating a module which specifically intercepts Modbus SCADA communications,” said Symantec.

Good news is that the malware does not appear to scan and indiscriminately infect every vulnerable device.

VPNFilter

Cisco Talos recently discovered that VPNFilter was targeting more routers and NAS devices than initially thought, and has additional capabilities.

It said VPNFilter is capable of infecting enterprise and small office and home office routers from ASUS, D-Link, Huawei, Linksys, MikroTik, Netgear, TP-Link, Ubiquiti, Upvel, and ZTE.

The malware can also infect and make it possible to attack QNAP NAS devices.

What owners should do

If you own one of these devices, you should immediately reboot it. This will temporarily remove the destructive component of VPNFilter.

However, if infected, the continuing presence of the malware means the full VPNFilter can be reinstalled by attackers.

Performing a hard reset of the device, which restores factory settings, should wipe it clean and remove all traces of the malware.

Users should also apply the latest available patches to affected devices and ensure that none use default credentials.

Netgear advised its customers to change default passwords and ensure that remote management is turned off.

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