sshhole Bug Analysis: Alpine/MUSL Systems Hit Hard, ~100-500M OpenWRT Routers Were at Risk
esrtweet · x · 2026-11-06
Security researcher esrtweet published analysis of the "sshhole" bug once enough public attention had gathered.
- He calls it "really, really bad" for Alpine Linux and other systems using MUSL as their C library.
- The worst case could have opened a root-access hole in maybe 30% of OpenWRT routers — on the order of 100-500M units worldwide — but he believes that bullet was dodged.
- Findings are unconfirmed: he notes ChatGPT wouldn't authorize him to do security analysis with it, and asks credentialed infosec researchers to verify.
- His investigation started after a morning warning: "Anyone with an OpenWRT router needs to unplug it. Now."
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