SafeUM
Home Blog Services Download Help About Recharge

Axarhöfði 14, 110 Reykjavik, Iceland

Iceland - 2015
SafeUM
Blog
Services
Download
Help
About
Recharge
Menu
Archive
TOP Security!
23 May 2017

Netgear adds telemetry data collection to its Nighthawk R7000 router firmware

Netgear has added an unwelcome guest in the newest firmware update for its popular upscale Nighthawk R7000 router.

It's collecting and uploading user data. After being dogged by some firmware glitches last year, Netgear has taken the decision to keep an eye on what its high-end router is doing, including IP and MAC addresses of your activity.

A support page entry explains: "Technical data about the functioning and use of our routers and their WiFi network can help us to more quickly isolate and debug general technical issues, improve router features and functionality, and improve the performance and usability of our routers. 

"Such data may include information regarding the router's running status, number of devices connected to the router, types of connections, LAN/WAN status, WiFi bands and channels, IP address, MAC address, serial number, and similar technical data about the use and functioning of the router, as well as its WiFi network."

Last December, the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) went as far as to warn customers to stop using certain models of Netgear routers, including the R7000, because there was a risk of a code injection being applied which could potentially infect a whole network.

All credit due to Netgear, however, who began rolling out fresh firmware to plug the patch within a week, and before we all stopped to eat turkey and shout at relatives, as is the December custom. It does however raise the question of whether this much information is justified, even with the most benign of intentions.

Our insider at Netgear has confirmed that you do have the option to turn this off in the router interface, but it is on by default. This doesn't worry us too much as the type of people to own a Nighthawk router are probably savvy enough to know how to turn it off. It was also confirmed that this feature is only enabled in the R7000 model, not the more recent R7800 or any other product in the range. But a precedent has been set, which always gets experts’ alarm bells ringing.


Download SafeUM — communicate privately, without advertising and spam.

Tags:
Netgear surveillance
Source:
TheINQUIRER
1812
Other NEWS
3 Jul 2020 safeum news imgage An encrypted messaging service has been infiltrated by police
4 May 2020 safeum news imgage Two-Factor Authentication ​What Is It and Why You Should Use It
12 Dec 2019 safeum news imgage Encryption is under threat - this is how it affects you
4 Nov 2019 safeum news imgage Should Big Decisions Be Based on Data or Your Intuition?
7 Jun 2018 safeum news imgage VPNFilter malware infecting 500,000 devices is worse than we thought
4 Jun 2018 safeum news imgage Hackers target Booking.com in criminal bid to steal hundreds of thousands from customers
1 Jun 2018 safeum news imgage Operator of World's Top Internet Hub Sues German Spy Agency
30 May 2018 safeum news imgage US says North Korea behind malware attacks
29 May 2018 safeum news imgage Facebook and Google targeted as first GDPR complaints filed
25 May 2018 safeum news imgage A new reason to not buy these cheap Android devices
24 May 2018 safeum news imgage Flaws in smart pet devices, apps could come back to bite owners
23 May 2018 safeum news imgage Google sued for 'clandestine tracking' of 4.4m UK iPhone users' browsing data
21 May 2018 safeum news imgage LocationSmart reportedly leaked phone location data onto the web
18 May 2018 safeum news imgage The SEC created its own scammy ICO to teach investors a lesson
17 May 2018 safeum news imgage Thieves suck millions out of Mexican banks in transfer heist
All news
SafeUM
Confidential Terms of Use Our technologies Company
Follow us
Download
SafeUM © Safe Universal Messenger

Axarhöfði 14,
110 Reykjavik, Iceland

Iceland - 2015