Hackers Target 81% of Routers with Default Admin Passwords

The latest 2025 Broadband Genie router security survey reveals alarming trends in network security awareness among internet users.

This year’s results, while showing marginal improvements in some areas, underscore the persistent gap between knowing how to secure a network and actually taking action.

The research team conducted their fourth comprehensive router security survey to compare attitudes and behaviors across 2018 through 2025.

Out of 3,242 surveyed users, the findings demonstrate that despite seven years of prior research highlighting security risks, the majority of households remain vulnerable to cybercriminals through unchanged default router configurations.

Previous studies consistently showed that the vast majority of internet users were unaware of the security implications associated with leaving default settings intact.

The 2025 data suggests that while some progress has been made, critical vulnerabilities remain widespread across residential networks.

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Firmware Remain Critical Concerns

The most concerning finding involves the administrator password, with 81% of respondents never changing their router’s default credentials.

This represents only a marginal 5% improvement from 2024 levels, indicating that the overwhelming majority of users are leaving their networks susceptible to unauthorized access.

Default router credentials are publicly available information, making them trivial targets for malicious actors seeking network access.

Equally troubling is the 84% of internet users who have never updated their router firmware. Firmware updates address critical security vulnerabilities and provide essential patches that protect devices from known exploits.

The trend over the past six years shows fewer people prioritizing firmware updates, though 2025 did see a slight 5% improvement year-over-year.

Despite this minor progress, leaving firmware outdated remains a widespread vulnerability vector that exposes networks to compromise.

Network naming conventions also present security concerns, with 85% of respondents maintaining their router’s default network name.

While this represents a 4% improvement compared to 2024, it remains below 2018 levels. Default network names like “SKY12345” or “Linksys-7890” make it considerably easier for attackers to identify specific router models and target known vulnerabilities associated with those devices.

Knowledge Gap Remains the Primary Barrier

Perhaps most revealing is that 79% of survey respondents indicated they know how to change router settings, yet 73% don’t understand why they should make these changes.

This significant awareness gap has persisted for the past three years, suggesting that user education efforts have failed to effectively communicate the risks associated with default configurations.

He noted that cybercriminals exploit firmware vulnerabilities to gain access to personal information and launch subsequent phishing attacks.

Additionally, only 31% of respondents regularly check which devices are connected to their home networks, leaving potential unauthorized access undetected.

The survey shows that 69% of users have never changed their Wi-Fi password, and 47% have never adjusted any factory settings whatsoever.

However, this 47% figure represents the lowest rate since the first 2018 study, indicating a 5% improvement from 2024.

McAfee Senior Security Researcher Oliver Devane emphasized that routers serve as the primary gateway to all connected home devices, making their security paramount.

The solution requires coordinated efforts from internet service providers, manufacturers, and users to prioritize network security through password changes, firmware updates, and regular network monitoring.

The path forward demands increased manufacturer transparency, simplified security configuration processes, and sustained public education campaigns to narrow the awareness-to-action gap that currently defines residential router security.

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