Jonathan Kamens 86 47
I have an old #Netgear #R9000 WiFi #router acting as an access point. This router is end-of-life and supposedly no longer receives firmware updates; there was a security update last September, so it isn't _too_ stale.
Because it's serving as an access point it has no public IP address, though obviously a sufficiently dedicated attacker could literally sit outside our house and talk to it over WiFi.
If you were in my shoes, what would you do with this router?
#infosec #homeInternet
leave it, it's fine
42.2%
too risky, replace it
4.4%
too risky, flash it to DD-WRT
51.1%
something else, see reply
2.2%
Poll ended at .
Apr 14 at 11:39pmWeb
Show threadJonathan Kamens 86 47Apr 16
Fortuitous timing… The day after I asked people's opinions about whether I should replace my EOL'd #Netgear router, Netgear sent me #spam bragging about how they've been approved by the FCC. There are no unsubscribe instructions anywhere in the message, which means every single email like this they sent is a separate violation of the #CanSpamAct. Amateur-hour crap like this pretty much guarantees I'll never buy another product from them.
Show threadJonathan Kamens 86 47Apr 18
I have to share with you this response that #Netgear sent in response to my #spam complaint, and the message I sent back to them in response:
Show threadAaron SotoApr 14

@jik If it were me, I'd flash it with OpenWRT, cause I like tinkering with things knowing full well that I'll probably waste a day but have fun doing it.

For any sane person though, assuming it currently supports WPA3, I'd say "it's fine, leave it". If it doesn't support WPA3, I'd recommend a shiny new Unifi access point with 6GHz and Wifi 7. 💸

Show threadJonathan Kamens 86 47Apr 14
@surefire No WPA3.
Show threadMarekApr 15
@jik Maybe give OpenWrt a try?
Show threadJonathan Kamens 86 47Apr 15
@mark22k Doesn't look like OpenWRT supports R9000.
Show threadAgyei GyasiApr 15
@jik i have an OLD Trendnet N300 router (the last security update was 5+ years ago) that i use as a wifi extender in my basement. I've configured it as best as I can and have had no security issues (that i know of, of course)🤞.
Show threadderekApr 15

@jik Thing is, unless you're being specifically targeted - in which case you're absolutely hosed no matter what - the chances of someone randomly picking your AP to break into are virtually nil. It's probably fine as it is and for years to come, at least until the Wifi spec it supports is entirely outdated.

I'd been using (Netgear Model Something) AP forever until I had enough hardware that supported Wifi7 to justify getting an upgrade to an AP that supported Wifi7.

Show threadDavid ZaslavskyApr 15

@jik I would flash it with DD-WRT but then again I am the kind of person who flashes brand new routers anyway, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. Realistically, I agree with what someone else said about your risk profile being super low.

Maybe it's a better use of your time to just do a quick sanity check that even if someone does get on your network, you don't have valuable information or anything sitting out in the open for them to find easily.