Security is a difficult subject, and having lots of devices that are internet-connected rather that on a private network does not make the situation easier. Many consumer hardware devices, such as routers, have interfaces that are intended to be used for upgrades but are also easy to exploit for crackers. A legitimate service facility thus becomes a backdoor. Increasing the available surface increases the number of potential attack vectors.
Perhaps you recognize some of these anti-patterns from development:
- A developer leaves a way in the code to enable him or her to later submit code that will be evaluated in the server application context. The idea is that you as a developer don't really know what kind of hot fixes will be necessary and whether an operator will be available when the fix needs to be deployed. So why not leave a backdoor in the code...
