Hacking the TP-Link WR-841N Router: How I Gained Root Access

Routers are an essential part of our daily lives, silently working in the background to connect our devices to the internet. But have you ever wondered what lies beneath the hood of these little boxes? Today, I’m sharing my experience of hacking into the TP-Link WR-841N router to gain root access through UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter). It was an enlightening journey, and this blog will guide you step-by-step through the process I followed.

The Router: TP-Link WR-841N

Let’s begin by talking about the star of the show, the TP-Link WR-841N router. This budget-friendly device is widely popular for home and small-office use. It’s lightweight, compact, and comes with all the essential features you’d expect from a router in its price range. However, like many budget devices, it has some security loopholes that manufacturers often overlook.

The first step was to access the router’s internals. My goal? To connect to its shell and explore its Linux-based file system. Most modern routers operate on Linux, and by gaining root access, you can uncover a lot about how the device functions.

Opening Up the Router

The router’s plastic casing was surprisingly easy to open. Once inside, I located two critical…