Backdoored Firmware Lets China State Hackers Control Routers With ‘Magic Packets’

Hackers supported by the Chinese government are suspected of planting malware into routers, creating a backdoor into the networks of multinational firms in the US and Japan, according to the two governments. The hackers, identified by names including BlackTech and Palmerworm, has been active since 2010 and target public organisations and private companies in the US and East Asia. They are understood to take control of network administration, enabling them to install malicious firmware.