arstechnica.com
A suspected Chinese state-sponsored group has compromised thousands of unsupported Asus routers in a campaign dubbed “WrtHug,” according to SecurityScorecard researchers. The seven targeted models no longer receive security updates, making them vulnerable. While the attackers’ motives remain unclear, researchers suspect the compromised routers are being used as ORB (operational relay box) networks for espionage and covert operations, masking the group’s identity. The infected devices are mainly located in Taiwan, with clusters in other countries. This tactic aligns with past Chinese government-linked campaigns and similar actions by Russian-state hackers, highlighting the growing trend of exploiting routers for malicious purposes.
