Hacker tries to restore lost internet connection: reverse engineers the modem and hacks into ISP network. ☎️ 🌐🔬🔨

What do you do if your optical internet goes down during a pandemic, and you're stuck with your Adtran 411 optical terminal and a bunch of error messages from the ISP? Exactly - reverse engineer the Adtran and hack yourself back into the ISP's network.

Security researcher Ian "Lanrat" Foster presented his research last week on ISP network security from the attacker’s perspective: reverse engineering the terminal and claiming five CVEs, including hidden web pages and two command injection vulnerabilities.

It’s still unclear whether he was able to restore connectivity to the internet. But the result is impressive nonetheless. :)

Enjoy the talk, please share it and keep in mind that bored hackers are dangerous! :)

More details:

Adventures & Findings in ISP Hacking [Video]: https://lnkd.in/dMkbWpnw

Adventures & Findings in ISP Hacking [PDF]: https://ian.ucsd.edu/slides/Adventures_and_Findings_in_ISP_Hacking_-_BSidesSF_2025.pdf