Broadcom Wi-Fi bug turns sweet 16, still lets strangers hijack your router
What happened
Security researcher Quentin Kaiser disclosed two bugs in Broadcom's proprietary Wi-Fi implementation, dubbed "WPSplinter," dating back to at least 2010. The bugs lie in Broadcom's handling of Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS): specially crafted WPS messages can corrupt the router's memory, allowing an attacker within Wi-Fi range to run their own code on the device without needing the password. According to Kaiser, Broadcom knew about the vulnerability in 2018 and released a partial fix without public disclosure, subsequently recommending manufacturers switch to the open-source hostapd software. Kaiser demonstrated working exploits against routers supplied by Belgian providers Proximus and Orange — on an ASKEY TCG3000 gateway he ran code and extracted the Wi-Fi password — and also found the flaw in Netgear and Technicolor routers supplied by VOO. He estimates around 850,000 Proximus gateways, 500,000 at VOO and 210,000 at Orange Belgium could be affected, roughly 1.56 million routers in Belgium alone (rough estimates, he admits), with worldwide numbers potentially considerably higher. Routers running older eCos-based chips (BCM3380, BCM3383, BCM33834) may never get a fix — Kaiser calls the flaw a "forever day" — while routers using Linux-based BCM3390, BCM65xx, and BCM68xx chips are also at risk unless manufacturers switch to hostapd. Kaiser first reported the vulnerabilities to Broadcom on July 18 with a second report on July 27 and a 90-day disclosure window; Broadcom responded on July 28 saying a patch was available, then declined to assign a CVE identifier; CERT/CC closed its case on August 4. By October 15, the day before his presentation, Kaiser said none of the affected devices he had identified had received a patch. He has not reported evidence of attacks in the wild. The source does not state any price or supply impact.
Impact and signal
Affected components and suppliers
Source and time
Source: The Register · 10/19/2026 · View original source
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