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Aug 30, 2026 · Archive
Tech

Chinese-Made Routers On Amazon Phone Home To A Shenzhen Server

Shenzhen's ZBT built two backdoors into its routers, one granting root access, the other phoning home unencrypted.

  • DARKLANTERN opens UDP port 9992, guarded by a static key trivially forged, letting anyone run commands.
  • SPEAKINGSTONE beacons to an Alibaba Cloud server in Shenzhen, stealing passwords and opening SSH tunnels.
  • ZBT sold the routers under nine brands, including Deep Orange on Amazon for $88.

Why it matters: Calling a backdoor 'after-sales support' does not change who it answers to: the seller, not the buyer.

VulnCheck blog ↗ · Aug 30, 20268/30/26