New NSA warning for U.S. citizens — act now.

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Updated on Apr. 11 with the publication of a list of affected routers.

NSA warns U.S. internet users to reboot their routers, with attackers continuing to target home networks to steal personal and sensitive data. “Don’t be a victim!" the spy agency says in a 2023 advisory it has directed citizens to again this month. "Malicious cyber actors may leverage your home network to gain access to personal, private, and confidential information.”

Now, the National Security Agency has added its voice to an FBI warning that Russia’s GRU intelligence agency is exploiting “vulnerable routers worldwide to intercept and steal sensitive military, government, and critical infrastructure information.”

Citizens are warned that APT28 (aka Fancy Bear) hackers working for Russia’s military “have been collecting credentials and exploiting vulnerable routers worldwide, including compromising TP-Link routers using CVE-2023-50224.”

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The TL;DR on this warning is to stop using end-of-life internet routers and to ensure that ones still under support are updated regularly. Let’s face it — vast numbers of home internet users never bother. Nor do they usually change router passwords or — for the more advanced — add guest networks at home.

NSA reminds citizens that its “best practices for securing your home network" means “changing default usernames and passwords, disabling remote management interfaces from the Internet, updating to latest firmware versions, and upgrading end-of-support devices.” In other words, don’t ignore that router operating quietly in the corner of your living room or home office. It’s a major security risk.

NSA also warns users that “at a minimum, you should schedule weekly reboots of your routing device, smartphones, and computers. Regular reboots help to remove implants and ensure security.” That just means turning it off and on again.

When was the last time you actually rebooted your home router? No doubt you restart it when the internet fails as part of an improvised get-well, but I’m fairly certain you don’t schedule (automatically or manually) any form of weekly restart.

While you probably haven’t been targeted by Russia’s military, you will be targeted by the cyber attacks and hacks that have always been a threat to home internet, smartphone and computer users, and which are now surging thanks to AI.

That necessitates good housekeeping habits. Changing passwords, updating whenever (and as soon as) updates are released, and — yes — weekly reboots. My advice is forming a habit of restarting devices, including routers, every Sunday.

Meanwhile PCMag has published the list of brands affected by the wider router clampdown. “FCC router ban is bad news for these brands,” the website reports.

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The list relies data derived from internet speed tests. “The FCC’s ban on foreign-made Wi-Fi routers has many of us questioning whether we’ll be able to stick with the router brands we like best. A new report using Speedtest.net data identifies which brands will be affected most, based on their popularity in the U.S.”

WiFi Now warns that “to our knowledge consumer-grade Wi-Fi routers available in the U.S. are manufactured nearly exclusively in China, Taiwan, and Vietnam. These include popular home networking products by major Wi-Fi router brands such as NETGEAR, TP-Link, Google Nest, eero, Ubiquiti, and many others.”

The list compiled by Ookla highlights the problem. Compiled from Speedtest users, the list “can be considered a proxy” for Wi-Fi router market share.

“As far as we know,” WiFi Now says, “there is no domestic US manufacturing of any consumer-grade Wi-Fi router at this time.”

Whatever your brand of router, given the FBI router warning backed up by cyber agencies around the world, check now to ensure it is still receiving firmware support by checking the model number. Then reboot it now.