Of all the technological devices that we use daily, the router It is the most unknown for most users. And it is becoming more and more so. The British broadband internet comparator Broadband Genie has published the results of its third router security survey, which follows those carried out in 2018 and 2022, and The trend is that more and more users are not the least bit interested in this device after its installation, which opens the door to various security risks..
Specifically, a 52% of more than 3,000 respondents You have never delved into setting up your router nor have you changed any of the carrier default settings. This is worrying, but much more so is the percentage of users who maintains the access password to the device that came with it: 86%.
This is a clear security risk because the passwords that routers come with in most cases They are not unique, like the password of a Wi-Fi network, but rather of general use.. That is, having to enter as username and password, in both cases, common terms such as ‘admin’ either ‘user’. This ensures that if a malicious actor connects to the router, they will have no barrier preventing them from accessing its settings.
‘Leave the default password It’s the easiest way for someone to gain access to your router and, therefore, to your network and connected devices. It is an open invitation to nefarious characters to snoop around and take what is yours,’ he warns. Alex ToftBroadband Genie’s broadband expert, in Forbes.
Another important risk to which the vast majority of users are exposed is that of do not update the router firmware. News about vulnerabilities that affect router manufacturers is common and for this reason it is always necessary to have the device’s firmware updated to the latest version.
According to Broadband Genie, almost 9 out of 10 users, 89%, have never done it. As in the previous cases, this figure also represents a slight increase over previous survey results in which the same questions were asked. ‘If it is not updated, routers can be vulnerable. This result is not what we wanted to see,’ says Toft.
‘Cybercriminals exploit bugs and vulnerabilities in firmware to gain access to your online information. Keeping the firmware updated with the latest security patches will prevent this from happening,’ he explains. Oliver Devanesenior security researcher at McAfee.
What you can do to improve the security of your router in a simple way
Given this situation, the recommendations that Broadband Genie conveys to users to improve the security of their router are:
- Disconnect the router from the Internet and perform a complete factory reset.
- Once done, change router administrator password and establish one that is unique.
- Change Wifi network password for your own and unique.
- Change the name of the Wifi network with another one that is unique and does not contain the name of your supplier.