Mystery Solved: The 'Evil' RJ45 Dongle Was Just Old Tech

A tech blogger investigates a Chinese-made RJ45-to-USB dongle accused on social media of containing malware. Through reverse engineering, the author discovers the dongle uses a publicly available, signed driver for a clone of the Realtek RTL8152B chip. The onboard flash memory stores the driver, essentially acting as a 'software-defined' CD-ROM. The conclusion? The dongle itself is harmless, just employing an outdated method of driver delivery. The article, written in a lighthearted tone, highlights misinterpretations and overreactions in cybersecurity, emphasizing the importance of security, particularly for critical infrastructure and strategic businesses.