My secondhand router caught me sleeping on the job

I set up an old Netgear router from a thrift store last month without checking for firmware updates, big mistake. Woke up to weird traffic spikes on my network and realized someone had been using it as a proxy for sketchy stuff. Anyone else run into pre-owned gear that was already compromised?

2 comments

2 Comments

valwest20d ago

Going to play the other side here for a moment. You bought a used router from a thrift store for probably less than twenty bucks and expected it to be secure right out of the box? That's asking a lot from bargain bin electronics. Most people who donate those things wipe them clean or just reset them, but it's still on you to do a basic security check before plugging it into your home network. A quick search online would have told you to update the firmware and change the admin password before anything else. The real lesson is that secondhand gear can be fine, but you have to treat it like a found item, not a new purchase.

coleman.jade20d ago

Oh man, this reminds me of the time I found a vintage lamp at a garage sale for five bucks, got it home all excited, and plugged it in only to have it start smoking within ten minutes. I was SO mad until I realized the wiring was ancient and completely frayed. I guess the moral is just because something works on the surface doesn't mean it's safe underneath, whether it's a router or a lamp.