Millions Of Home Routers Are Vulnerable
July 16th, 2010 by ComputerBob
For years, I created and maintained this entire Web site through a 56K (actually 40K) dial-up Internet connection.
Many times, I sat up for hours overnight, waiting for a few hundred edited pages to upload to my out-of-state Web server; or for an ISO image to download so that I could burn a CD of some new software.
It’s only been a few years since I finally graduated to using the slowest, cheapest Verizon DSL connection — because it was nine times the speed of dial-up for only $5/month (USD) more than the cost of dial-up.
It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
When I first moved to Verizon DSL, I only had one PC and no budget or plans to have more, so I paid for the standard, one-port DSL modem instead of the four-port DSL modem/router/gateway.
But less than a year ago, I inherited an old Pentium IV PC. Shortly after that, I found a great deal on a Verizon DSL modem/router/gateway, and my home network was born. A few months later, I found a great deal on a networked laser printer. About six months ago, I figured out how to setup one of my PCs to be an NFS server. Then, about five months ago, I found a great deal on a used PC — and my home-office network grew to what it is now — two desktop PCs and an NFS file server PC (all running Linux), with one of the PCs running an optical scanner, and all three PCs sharing a networked laser printer; plus an ethernet connection in my garage, so that I can setup and demonstrate other used PCs and networking equipment that I buy and sell.
As I’ve said before, because I curently have no need for wireless access, so for reasons of both security and convenience, I disabled my modem/router/gateway’s wireless feature.
But it turns out that, according to a security expert, millions of home routers (including mine and probably yours) are currently vulnerable to being hacked by malicious Web sites.
The good news is that it’s relatively simple to protect your router the same way that I protected mine a long time ago.
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Bugs, Consumer Info, Cybercrime, Hardware, Internet, Security, Tech Support