Wifatch malware may be force for good, Symantec

Home routers and IoT devices are increasingly an attractive target for cyberthieves. While not a vault for marketable data, instead they are being enlisted as zombies tethered to peer-to-peer networks to be used in distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.

But, surprisingly, a new malware discovered by researchers at Symantec may be defending routers against attackers and may even be providing fixes for infections, according to the Daily Dot.

Originally detected last year in China and Brazil, Linux.Wifatch malware has now been seen to eradicate familiar malware, block entry points malware might use to gain entry, and it even warns users to update passwords and upgrade firmware to better protect against hackers.

While this may be the creation of a cyber Robin Hood with noble intentions, the Symantec researchers explained on the company's Security Response Blog that Wifatch is illegal.