Security researchers say that the danger stems from widely used technology found in routers and other standard networking equipment.
Common bugs in networking systems are placing PCs, printers and storage devices at risk, according to security researchers.
According to the security team at Rapid7, technology used worldwide in both routers and standard networking equipment is making it possible for hackers to potentially infiltrate approximately 40 million to 50 million devices worldwide.
The vulnerability lies in the standard known as Universal Plug and Play (UPnP). This standard set of networking protocols allows devices such as PCs, printers and Wi-Fi access points to communicate and discover each other's presence. After discovery, devices can be connected through a network in order to share files, printing capability and the Internet.
