Security News > 2020 > January > Cable Haunt: Unknown millions of Broadcom-based cable modems open to hijacking

A vulnerability in Broadcom's cable modem firmware can open unknown millions of broadband modems by various manufacturers to attackers, a group of Danish researchers has warned.

CVE-2019-19494, also dubbed Cable Haunt, is present in the spectrum analyzer, a standard component of Broadcom chips that identifies potential problems with the connection through the modem's coaxial cable.

"There are an estimated 200 million cable modems in Europe alone. With almost no cable modem tested being secure without a firmware update, the number of modems initially vulnerable in Europe is estimated to be close to this number," the researchers shared.

"However, it is tough to give a precise estimate of the reach of Cable Haunt. The reason for this is that the vulnerability originated in reference software, which has seemingly been copied by different cable modems manufacturers when creating their cable modem firmware. This means that we have not been able to track the exact spread of the vulnerability and that it might present itself in slightly different ways for different manufacturers."

"Check with the manufacturer of your modem if the latest firmware prevents Cable Haunt, and if the modem were ever vulnerable. If you suspect that your modem has been compromised, update the firmware to a version not vulnerable to Cable Haunt. Then you should consider if your past non-encrypted internet traffic contains sensitive information, such as passwords or personal emails, and take precautions accordingly," they added.

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