This malware botnet bricked over 600,000 routers in coordinated attack — but no one is really sure why

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Cybersecurity researchers from Lumens Black Lotus Labs recently released areporton a botnet they dubbed Pumpkin Eclipse.

Replacing the devices

Then, between October 25 and 27, 2023, the routers started dying.

cables going into the back of a broadband router on white background

The internet light is showing solid red.

Soon after, Windstream reached out saying the users need to replace their devices with new ones.

What remains a mystery is how the routers got infected with Chalubo to begin with.

However, if the credentials on the router were weak, the attackers could re-establish the connection.

In conclusion, having a strong password on a router is a must.