D-Link, Ubiquiti devices hijacked by hackers to plunder stolen bandwidth
Hackers exploited vulnerabilities in D-Link and Ubiquiti devices to install Pawns.app, a legitimate bandwidth-sharing app, hijacking 143 devices in 34 countries. GreyNoise researchers identified the campaign, which used older versions of the app to monetize stolen bandwidth. The affected devices included D-Link ShareCenter NAS, Ubiquiti UniFi Video NVRs, and others with known vulnerabilities.
How this was made
The 30-second read
Why it matters
The article attributes the campaign to specific vulnerabilities in D-Link and Ubiquiti devices and quantifies at least 143 compromised devices across 34 countries, implying elevated security and remediation risk for the affected product lines.
Market read
For traders, the actionable angle is incremental risk pricing for network device vendors tied to exploited vulnerabilities and a quantified global compromise footprint.
What to watch
Investors may discount the impact if patches are already available, if affected versions are narrow, or if the companies quickly issue mitigations and communicate remediation effectiveness.
Background
Proxyjacking is described as hijacking devices into proxy networks, with attackers using legitimate bandwidth-sharing software rather than classic malware to avoid detection.
Ticker impact
Article reports Ubiquiti UniFi Video NVRs were targeted using CVE-2021-44228 to install legitimate bandwidth-sharing software without consent.
Likely pressure as the market anticipates remediation actions and heightened scrutiny of device security practices.
The article provides concrete vulnerability linkage and a cross-country compromise footprint, which typically matters for hardware/software security franchises.
Market effects
Highlights ongoing proxyjacking risk in network-attached storage and video surveillance ecosystems, reinforcing the need for rapid patching and access-control hardening.
Global compromise footprint across 34 countries suggests multinational enterprise and consumer exposure, not localized to one region.
Underscores a broader cybercrime tactic using legitimate software to monetize bandwidth, which can increase overall security spending and incident-response demand.
Counterpoint
This is a security incident report, not a disclosed financial event; market impact may be limited unless there are confirmed large-scale customer losses, regulatory actions, or material guidance changes.
Key entities
- targeted deviceD-Link ShareCenter NAS
Named as one of the affected D-Link product lines exploited via CVE-2024-3272 and CVE-2024-3273.
- targeted deviceUbiquiti UniFi Video NVRs
Named as affected Ubiquiti hardware exploited via CVE-2021-44228.
- software used in attackPawns.app
Legitimate bandwidth-sharing feature in older app versions is described as the mechanism used to monetize hijacked bandwidth.
- researcherGreyNoise
Security researchers credited with spotting the proxyjacking campaign and providing the compromise count and device targeting details.
