81% Router Usres Have Not Changed Default Admin Passwords, Exposing Devices to Hackers

In late 2025, a staggering 81% of broadband users were found to have never changed their router’s default administrative password, opening the door to significant malware risk.

This widespread negligence was revealed in Broadband Genie’s fourth major router security survey, where 3,242 users were polled to gauge progress on consumer cybersecurity awareness.

Despite regulatory pushes and increased media attention, most users remain vulnerable, rendering their household networks and connected devices susceptible to compromise.

The roots of this problem trace back to an enduring blend of user unawareness and confusing router interfaces.

Many consumers equate router setup with minimal configuration: plug in, connect, and browse the web.

Yet, this leaves gateways open for attackers who can readily find manufacturer-default admin credentials on the open web.

Once these details are leveraged, malicious actors gain intimate access to the device, facilitating surveillance, DNS tampering, internal pivoting, or installation of persistent malware.

It is this architectural weakness that has empowered a new wave of malware to automate penetration campaigns against poorly-configured home routers across the globe.

Broadband researchers noted the malware’s swift adoption of credential brute-forcing and default-password attacks as a dominant vector.

Compromised routers become launchpads for botnets, phishing operations, and data exfiltration campaigns.

Case studies and reports highlight the ease with which threat actors automate exploitation: using known credential pairs and unauthenticated web interfaces, attackers deploy scripts that rapidly cycle through default logins across residential IP address blocks.

Attack Vector Deep Dive: Infection Mechanism

At the core of these attacks lies automated credential stuffing—the process of systematically attempting commonly-known router admin usernames and passwords until access is gained.

A typical payload delivered post-exploitation automates configuration theft and persistence. Below is a representative code snippet demonstrating how malware initiates a brute-force loop to hijack router admin panels using Python:-

import requests

def brute_force_admin(target_url, creds_list):
    for username, password in creds_list:
        response = requests.post(f"{target_url}/login", data={"user": username, "pass": password})
        if "dashboard" in response.text:
            print(f"Compromised: {username}:{password}")
            return True
    return False

# Example usage with common credentials
credentials = [("admin", "admin"), ("user", "1234"), ("root", "password")]
brute_force_admin("http://192.168.1.1", credentials)

Once successful, the malware may alter DNS settings, disable security updates, or establish remote backdoors, effectively enslaving the device. Real-world reports demonstrate that persistent router malware often abuses these unaltered credentials for repeated re-infection, even after device reboots.

This persistent threat landscape underscores the critical importance of changing default administrative credentials and highlights the ongoing role of broadband research in tracking and combating new strains of router malware.

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