Last month the FBI and Department of Homeland Security issued a warning about a new form of malware. VPNFilter targets routers directly, which is alarming considering most routers don’t have malware intrusion countermeasures.
Why Reboot Your Router?
Thanks to the Department of Justice, in cooperation with the FBI, the domain this malware was using was seized. This is good news for compromised routers since the malware won’t be able to reestablish itself after communication has been interrupted. But for that to happen, you need to reboot your routers. [bctt tweet=”The threat of malware against your router should be reason enough to #reboot, and it won’t take more than 5 minutes!” username=”ensteptech”]
Check Firmware
Before you reboot your router, check to see if your router’s firmware is up to date. Updating the firmware requires an automatic reboot anyway, so you’ll be making sure your device is properly protected and more secure in the future.
Basic Reboot
You can perform a basic reboot by simply unplugging your router for at least 90 seconds, then plugging it back in. While this should take care of the problem, it’s a very basic solution and may not cover all your apps.
Device Settings
A better way than unplugging is to go into your device settings. If your device has an associated app, the best course of action is to go to the device settings for your network. From there, you can select the Reboot option.
Better Safe Than Sorry
You can find the full list of affected devices here, but even if you don’t see yours on the list, it doesn’t hurt to perform a reboot just to make sure you’re protected. If you believe your technology has been compromised, you should speak with an IT professional for more help.
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