Reactions to the acquisition ranged from hopelessly negative to unrealistically optimistic. And while we won’t know exactly how it will shake out, it has—or at least it should—motivate people to give a little thought to their own routers. Still, it’s a big leap from analyzing anonymized data to tracking specific user behavior. And if that’s what you’re worried about, then you should take a peak at what your Internet Service Provider might be up to. Last year, the FCC repealed a regulation that protected users from ISPs collecting and using their personal data without consent.
What about your current router?
With all this talk of internet access points flying around the web, this is a good moment for you to take stock of your own router situation since it may be doing you a disservice and opening yourself up to even more serious security and privacy issues. If you’ve never looked at your router’s settings, it’s possible the default security info is still in place, which makes it vulnerable to attacks, but fortunately, that’s mostly not the case anymore. Du says, however, that a good password for your network doesn’t solve all of your security problems. “Attackers don’t need your password,” says Du. “If there’s a vulnerability in the router’s firmware, they can use that as a way in.” The process of updating the firmware on your router is—let’s face it—incredibly boring, but it’s important because out-of-date software can open you up to hacks that are otherwise easily fixed. Many routers update automatically by default, but it’s not universal and older devices are less likely to keep current on their own.
