Can Viruses Be Spread through or By a Router?

[LydiaN586309]

Can a virus or viruses be spread via the router used by multiple laptops or computers connected it to it?  I know a computer can be infected.  But can the router itself be infected and thus contaminate all of the devices using it--so that the whole network is infected?

[cat0w]

@LydiaN586309    What kind of router do you have? Is it set up where all users have to have the User Name and Password to be able to use your network/internet including guest? 

Here are a couple of example images from mine showing some things that can be done to help make it secure. Click on, tap or activate images to enlarge them.

[LydiaN586309]

Thanks @cat0w for your response. My router was supplied to me by Comcast. All it says on the outside of it is Xfinity. And yes it is set up where all users would have to use passwords to access my network. It is supposed to be secure.

I'm going to contact Best Buy's Geek Squad to look at my devices. I may change out the router all together as well. And then again I may have to just buy a new computer. But I would like to know what's going on here before I add another device to my network and maybe have it compromised. 

Any thoughts?

[Frozenoem]

@LydiaN586309 

yeah, would it be a virus or malware or something else.If network share is enabled, you betcha.

Do you recall a massive update of routers firmware announced one or two years back by Microsoft or Federal government.

Anything can be made to do bad things by people or there software.

Back doors into specific brand computers like Asus, through a tool that makes the computer think? It’s legit and authorized update by manufacturer.

Androids and iOS connecting through that network, I wouldn’t be surprised by anything anymore.

Just keep updating everything, always constantly, and you might be safe.

Said with less certainty than ever in my life and that’s after > 51years in computers.

When in doubt do a google/duckduck  search , etc.

I’ve seen in the wild (proof presented) wifirouters by names such as Comcast or AtT or Fios routers that spread through everything connected to them.

Think that was after Wikileaks Vault 7 were released? 

Froze

* if you’re getting a specific error message or warning from whom is it coming, and from what non-recently updated OS do you use.

[LydiaN586309]

Thanks @Frozenoem  for your quick response to my dilemma. I asked the question I did because I've had multiple problems with all of my devices. Over a year ago my desktop went out on me. When I tried to boot it up, I had a blue screen and nothing else. I could not get into anything in it and I assumed it was because there have been the storm and maybe there had been a surge and everything had been wiped out or something. But I had a laptop.  So I started using that until it gave out. Last device I went to was my small tablet and last week, it locked me out. After all of this I began to think perhaps there's something wrong with my entire system-- the router in particular. What do you think? My desktop is a Gateway from 2005. My laptop I purchased in 2008 and is an Acer.   My tablet was gifted to me and it is about 3 or 4 years old.  It is a Lenveno.  Thanks.

[Frozenoem]

@LydiaN586309 

Gotta ask what operating system Win7,8, 8.1, 10 or ? For all computers.

Generally a power surge might take out the power supply or hard drive if writing to disk during hit.Desktop users need UPS to cover their posteriors. UPS =Uninterruptible Power Supply it allows orderly shut down of computer if surge, or blackout s, hit $40.

Yhe blue screen leaves me curious though.Did you record the error message? Do you still have desktop and access to functioning computer, with a usb memory stick?

How long did it take for everything to go bye bye, weeks or months or years? If desktop died a year ago, and you used everything else until recently doesn’t sound like virus.

Acer what OS? How did it stop working? What model #? Acer also makes Chrome no hdd model laptops.

Tablet  is it a Lenovo ? Lenveno is giving me a total blank for brand🤣 What model # what operating system?

Do you ordinarily run an antivirus program on all of the computers? Run updates from MIcrosoft weekly? 

If your router is Comcast 

Xinqular? They had a system wide reset of passwords within the last 2-3 months might have put it somewhere here. Recall talking my niece through reset in MA, Comcast was hiding or merely unreachable through a weekend🤣

may be virus or simple hardware failures. If it were me an desktop, laptop or tablet won’t boot. I’d make a boot disk for Knoppix, Hirens or Falcons Four all freeware for a USB memory stick, run one of several antivirus programs from memory stick, and see if you can clean them.

The three programs mentioned above boot all Windows computers, and don’t boot to windows.

Noce thing about the programs above If hard drive isn’t making funky noises, generally you can recover your pix, documents, etc to another memory stick or hard drive, etc.

Really need to know the operating system Windows or Chrome and what flavor/version of Windows, on which computer

.

Routers can kill all devices if infected but, generally kills computers, mice, keyboards etc. within a week not, a year.