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Home>Perimeter Scan>More on router upgrades, settings, and passwords

More on router upgrades, settings, and passwords

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Ryan Russell in Perimeter Scan
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Ryan Russell 1 More on router upgrades, settings, and passwords By Ryan Russell

Readers responding to my Oct. 8 column on router security asked primarily about three things: upgrading a device’s firmware, saving its configuration settings, and encrypting wireless devices.

These activities can be tricky but can also pay huge benefits when done deliberately.


Is upgrading a router’s firmware worthwhile?

If you’re thinking about upgrading your router’s firmware, you need to answer three questions:
  • Should I upgrade to the latest release simply because it’s available?
  • Where do I find the upgraded firmware?
  • How do I determine what is fixed or changed in the new firmware version?
Good reasons to update your router’s firmware are (1) to enhance performance, (2) to improve reliability, or (3) to add a new and useful feature, such as a stronger form of encryption. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to determine an upgrade’s new features.

The first place to look for a list of new features is the same place you found the firmware itself: the vendor’s site. The trick is finding the information, which for some reason is often hidden.

For example, I use a D-Link DIR-450 router. In my search for a firmware upgrade, I went first to the D-Link site and clicked the link for the DIR-450 product page, then Support Resources, and then Firmware. There I found download links for firmware releases 1.03 and 1.02. Beside the first link, it says Added support for Verizon PC5750. OK, that’s clear enough.

But accompanying the second download link are two notes: Supports Pantech PX-500 card and Fixed DDNS. The first one I get, but the second’s a little terse. Is that a security fix? I couldn’t find any release notes to explain Fixed DDNS in greater detail.

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Related posts:

  1. Critical flaw in Linksys router
  2. Take steps to secure your home network’s router
  3. A really good reason to change your router password
  4. How to supercharge your wireless router
  5. Is A Router Enough Protection?
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All Windows Secrets articles posted on 2009-10-22:

  • Top Story The pros and cons of switching to Windows 7
  • Wacky Web Week Behind the lens of Google street view
  • LangaList Plus Automatic driver updates may spell trouble
  • Perimeter Scan More on router upgrades, settings, and passwords
  • Patch Watch Mozilla blocks, then unblocks Microsoft add-ons
  •  Show all articles on a single page
Ryan Russell

About Ryan Russell

Ryan Russell is a quality assurance manager at BigFix Inc., a configuration management company. He moderated the vuln-dev mailing list for three years under the alias "Blue Boar." He was the lead author of Hack-Proofing Your Network, 2nd Ed., and the technical editor of the Stealing the Network book series.
View all posts by Ryan Russell →

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