Not trusting adsl router, what are more secure alternatives?

Ulysses_ · 05-17-2015, 05:04 AM

Some adsl routers have additional login passwords that do not appear in the configuration, some penetration testers have found. And they are the same for all customers! For example this adsl router:

http://wwwen.zte.com.cn/en/products/...22_424137.html

Rather than switch to another model and hope there is no hidden security breaches in it, what else can one do?

Go back to the 56 kbits/s telephone line modems of 20 years ago?

Anything better?

TobiSGD · 05-17-2015, 08:49 AM

If you have a router that is compatible with OpenWRT you could use that instead of the firmware provided by the manufacturer.

Pearlseattle · 05-17-2015, 10:24 AM

If you scan with nmon all your ports nothing should be open => done.
(EDIT: "scanning" meaning from the outside - e.g. from another server/VM that connects from the Internet to your router)

Ulysses_ · 05-17-2015, 11:04 AM

Maybe ports are always closed except after a special sequence is sent from the outside.

Pearlseattle · 05-17-2015, 11:14 AM

You're right, but that would be a really really really nasty thing.
Such a thing can exist only to have a specific purpose and the company that produces the device would most most probably be directly liable for any damage that such a backdoor generates, doesn't matter for which reason it exists.
Anyway, the only way to test against such possibilities is to test all possibilities - any HW could contiain such a backdoor.

Ulysses_ · 05-17-2015, 03:19 PM

What about a hardware device that connects to adsl but has no firmware, just a chip with adsl pins and nothing else, and everything is done in software, does this exist?

dt64 · 05-19-2015, 04:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ulysses_

What about a hardware device that connects to adsl but has no firmware, just a chip with adsl pins and nothing else, and everything is done in software, does this exist?

That's basically how all the equipment works: just a (or a few) chips and the all the other stuff done in software. Firmware is software. So what was the question?

Ulysses_ · 05-19-2015, 04:44 AM

Firmware is closed-source, other software can be open-source.

dt64 · 05-19-2015, 04:57 AM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firmware

according to the definition OpenWRT would be firmware and it's open source.

Ulysses_ · 05-19-2015, 05:10 AM

That's for high level features, it is not to the bare bones as a driver for an AD converter and a DA converter would be for example.