So year after year, Americans…ahem…salute Comcast as one of the most hated companies in the country. In fact, many hated companies on the list are IT service companies. But that’s another subject. Comcast’s latest crisis won’t win them any popularity points. Comcast leaks router information.
In fact, their routers reveal customers’ passwords on the web. We can thank ZDNet for breaking this story. They meant for Comcast’s website to make it easy to set up your Internet service. But there are problems with this. First, you activate an already active account. Then, they require minimum data, and they blast your name and password in plain text for all to see.
In fact, the data requirements are so minimum that they don’t even make you confirm it. If anybody gets your account number, then they can get your router password and pretty much hijack it for themselves. Let me be clear. This does not affect all Comcast customers. This warning is just for those who use Comcast/Xfinity routers. In most cases like this, someone in our Boston computer service shop would say, “Change your password”. But that won’t work here. Because if you do, a potential hacker would see it and continue to interfere. So what do you do if Comcast leaks router information?
If you’re looking to use Comcast’s services, then don’t get their router. Get your own separate router. This isn’t just me. Most IT security experts will tell you that. But what if you already have a Comcast router? Then make sure your encryption is tight. Make sure it’s extra tight if you’re buying something. Comcast itself its working on the issue. But it too late for Comcast reputation? Like I said, many Americans are unhappy with Comcast. Several years back, they may have been the only choice. But now, there are services? You Tube Red, they’re not the only candy store in town anymore.