- ‘Which?’ warns about the dangers of using old modem routers supplied by your ISP.
- The agency found that up to 2.4 million homes in the UK are affected by this negligence.
- Consumers should request a replacement from their ISP or buy their own modem router.
Investigators at ‘Which?’, a consumer protection agency in Britain, warn about millions of router modems that are a liability for their users. A few months ago, the organization conducted a survey in the UK and found that a significant percentage of the participants used devices that they got from their ISPs (Sky, Vodafone, Virgin, EE, TalkTalk) over five years ago. These routers are no longer supported by their vendors, and yet they are still supporting internet access for tens of millions of vulnerable individuals.
According to Which?, these are the 13 router models that kept popping up in its survey:
- Sky SR101
- Sky SR102
- TalkTalk HG523a
- TalkTalk HG533
- TalkTalk HG635
- Virgin Media Super Hub 2
- Vodafone HHG2500
- Sky SR101
- Sky SR102
- TalkTalk HG523a
- TalkTalk HG635
- TalkTalk HG533
- Virgin Media Super Hub
- Virgin Media Super Hub 2
- EE Brightbox 2
Some of the above use weak default passwords, so anyone can access them remotely and do nasty stuff at the user's expense. Others are not receiving any security updates, so whatever vulnerability has been discovered since the EOL lies open for exploitation. And finally, some are plagued by local network flaws that could enable an attacker with physical access to take full control of the connected devices.
If you are still using any of the above models, contact your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and request a new router to be issued as a replacement. Because many providers follow the “upfront payment” approach when handing these devices to subscribers, you should be careful not to incur any extra charges. Until a replacement arrives, changing your router’s default credentials should be a priority. This is actually a standard thing to do on all routers regardless of their age and support status.
If your ISP refuses to supply a new router, remember, you can always buy your own equipment and configure it to work with the internet line you're paying for. If you’re looking for a good option on that part, have a look at our list with the 13 best modem routers to replace your rented gear. In this case, you should check what the end of support date is on the manufacturer's website since this is an important factor that determines if a $100 product is worth the investment or not.