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Interesting. Reminds me of the hack I did on a (mandatory) modem/router forced on AT&T users. They had a bunch of problems with it, so one day I got fed up after the millionth disconnect and cracked it open. Got a serial root shell by using the "magic !" command (completely randomly discovered) and dumped the source to the web UI(in Lua/haserl). From there found the equivalent of a SQL injection vulnerability and used it to gain a remote root exploit.

Most annoyingly, AT&T put out a firmware update some months later that closed the exploit, but didn't fix any other problems. So, I found another more intrusive/permanent exploit. Still waiting on them to patch it next heh. But now they are actually putting out some updates that actually fix problems too at least. Hopefully user uproar will continue to drive them to fix more problems



AT&T have not forced me to use a specific modem with their DSL service.


This is with their u-verse service. Basically it's like DSL but using some different technologies and no easy way of bridging like PPPoE


do you have a write up with more details about those exploits?


Yea I wrote it up on my blog here. Just didn't want to risk spamming heh.http://earlz.net/view/2012/06/07/0026/rooting-the-nvg510-fro...


U-Verse High Speed Internet service uses this type of modem (this is the "U-Verse" service that is a traditional ADSL type service, not their IPTV VDSL stuff -- it used to not carry the U-Verse name). I'm stuck with it at my extended family's summer home since there's no other service available. It's been incredibly flaky. Since the default configuration won't allow me to set the modem to respond to ICMP and we physically unplug electronics other than the modem when we're not there, I've run out of ways to monitor it remotely from my home two hours away (thereby eliminating the possibility of getting a monthly credit for every month this thing has been flaky).

I've had service techs out for the last two years trying to make it more reliable, but the biggest problem has been "proving" that the service has been down, and very frequently. Now I can get my local nagios instance graphing the terribly reliability. That should get ammunition to request monthly statement credits, hopefully increasing their motivation to fix the wiring in the area (everyone in this small town that has U-Verse complains about the reliability of the connection).


Very neat trick. what does "errrr" do?


Thanks man, that hack saved me so much pain when I had a 510 and needed a router with uPnP. I've got a 5801 now which has a "DMZ+" mode, but AT&T makes me pay 6 bucks a month for it :/




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