Router Hijacking
So, a couple of days ago, I got an email newsletter from Steve Bass, who used to be a columnist for PCWorld, and whom I totally enjoy. I find the fact that they just booted him after umpteen years despicable. I always enjoyed reading his stuff.
But, I digress…
He has a piece in there about router hijacking. Apparently, if you haven’t changed your router password, like so many of us hadn’t … duh… your router is susceptible to attack. The issue starts with a trojan that allows hackers to hijack your router and then, everything that you send or receive goes through them first. Not good at all. I immediately remembered that my virus protection software had caught a trojan a week ago, but still, who wants to have their router hijacked, right?
I had been noticing a slowdown, too, so that really scared me. I thought that I’d been hijacked. Who knows? Maybe I was… And then again, read on…
I’ve learned a great deal since I got that router, but it just didn’t occur to me to change the password. At the time, I’m sure I wouldn’t have known how. I mean, I’m pretty techy, but the hardware stuff still alludes me somewhat. Anyway, I figured, OK… I can do this.
So, got out my notes for the router, and logged in.
Come to find that some of my neighbors have been pirating signal from me. Oh, did I feel like a dummy! No wonder I was losing speed. I was allowing the whole neighborhood to use my broadband. What a dope!
So, I quickly changed my password, and then, tried to allow only my computers. There are 5 in this house. Not so easy. But I did it anyway. Thought I was pretty smart, too.
And then, I couldn’t get back in.
I forgot to add my main computer!
So, guess what? I had to reinstall my router and start all over again.
It’s fixed now, but if you have a router and haven’t changed the password or only allowed your computers, you’re in danger of not just slowing down but of having your identity stolen and a whole lot more.
Scary stuff, eh?
