Don't Leave Your Home Router Defenseless

I came across this PC World article so I thought I should share it with you. In a Wi-Fi security post, our own Chris Null emphasizes the importance of changing the default administrator password and name of your network because this makes them vulnerable to hacking attacks. Researchers at Symantec and Indiana University published a report that gives us a little more insight on how hackers could easily take over your home routers using simple JavaScript code.

If you kept the default password on your router, and were ever to come across a web site serving up this malicious code, you'd be opening yourself to a world of trouble. Once your router is compromised, you could potentially be redirected to phishing sites that could trick you into downloading malware or giving up personal information to identity thieves. This ought to be another good reason to take Chris' advice of always changing your router's default password into something attackers couldn't easily exploit. But what are vendors like D-Link or Cisco Systems doing to help customer prevent these type of attacks?

According to the article on PC World:

Both Cisco and D-Link said they've taken steps to avoid this type of security problem. Over the past few years they've introduced step-by-step "wizard" software to configure their routers, and these products always suggest that the user come up with a unique password. The problem is that the routers still work if the password is left as default. And that's not likely to change anytime soon, according to Michael Scott, D-Link's technical media manager. Users wouldn't buy routers that forced them to enter unique passwords, he said. "That would only result in returned products, and then they would buy one of our competitors products."

As you can see, your network's security is in your hands. Don't risk it, change that password!

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