How is my employer accessing my router when employer's laptop is wirelessly connected to my home network

Question

I have a modem bridged to a modern router running open source software and heavily secured. I have all connections to the router through a personal vpn from a dedicated provider. During work from home (allowed by employer), when laptop is wirelessly (isolated) connected to my home network through the employer's vpn over my personal vpn, the employer is able to turn off my wireless network, mess up the router that it takes me hours to get it back and running. Usually, I have to erase ram and reboot. uninstall and re-install the vpn applet.

How do I know it is my employer? During the time I have been with this employer (several years), it never happened when I am off work during weekdays or weekends. It happens when I am connected to my employer's network. This doesn't happen every time. It happens during political situations at work.

Even if I assume that the employer's laptop is rigged, how is it possible to get through an AP Isolated wireless network with dedicated ip, and get to the router so as to turn off my router's wireless network and internet. When I say turn off, I don't mean go into the configuration page and turn off the wireless radios. I mean the wireless radios are not functioning and I also loose internet connection

Answer 1

As far as I understand you are connected through the employers VPN to the employers network. This means, there is a direct tunnel between the laptop and the employers network.

This tunnel can be used by you to access the employers network. But it goes in both direction and thus can also be used to access the laptop from the employers network. It does not matter what kind of additional protection you have below this tunnel at all, all what matters is that this bidirectional tunnel (i.e. the VPN) exists.

And, once your employer can access the laptop from remote he can also access any systems connected to this laptop (like the router), the same as you do when you are sitting in front of the laptop.