## Global Hack Targets 50,000+ Asus Routers, Czech republic Among Affected Nations
A widespread cyberattack has compromised over 50,000 Asus wireless routers worldwide, with devices in teh Czech Republic also impacted, according to a new report by SecurityScorecard. The operation, dubbed WrtHug, is believed to originate from China adn targets older Asus models running the AsusWrt system – a derivative of OpenWrt – for wich manufacturer support has ended or have not been updated by their users.
Attackers exploited vulnerabilities in the AiCloud function, used for remote router access, to gain root-level privileges and install persistent malware capable of surviving reboots and resets. This allowed them to connect compromised routers to a botnet for use in further cyberattacks.
Researchers identified Taiwan as the country with the highest concentration of compromised routers (30-50%), followed by the United states and Russia, with significant numbers also found in Central Europe, including the Czech Republic. Several affected models were commonly sold within the Czech market.
The following Asus router models are confirmed to be vulnerable:
* Asus GT-AX11000
* Asus GT-AC5300
* Asus RT-AC68U
* Asus DSL-AC68U
* Asus RT-AC1200HP
* Asus RT-AC1300GPLUS
* Asus RT-AC1300UHP
* asus 4G-AC55U
* Asus 4G-AC860U
Asus users with any of these models are urged to immediately apply available firmware updates and disable the AiCloud feature. For routers that have reached their end-of-life and no longer receive updates, complete replacement is the only recommended solution to mitigate risk.Operating outdated network devices poses a security threat to all connected devices and can facilitate further cybercrime.
Sources: ArsTechnica, SecurityScorecard
