Broadband News

Millions of BT customers ‘open to hackers’

Garnet Roach garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

Millions of BT Broadband customers using the provider’s Home Hub router are vulnerable to hackers it has been reported (28-05-08).

The security flaw in the popular wireless router is well known to both hackers and BT (www.BT.com) and could be used to easily hack into a user’s PC experts warned The Telegraph.

BT - which has 4.4 million broadband customers - played down the claim that using easily downloadable software, hackers could crack passwords and change settings in as little as five minutes, saying the risk was “theoretical”.

However, Paul Vlissidis, technical director of IT consultancy NCC Group, told The Telegraph: “All the bad guys know about this. It is very widely published on the internet and the software is very easy to get hold of. The only people that don’t seem to be aware are the customers of the networks.

“I’m concerned that BT seems to be telling people this is a theoretical vulnerability,” he added. “It’s not theoretical at all. This is not something that we just thought up, it is something you can do.”

BT advised customers to visit the Home Hub help section of its website adding that by swapping from the older WEP encryption to the more secure WPA, and changing passwords, customers would be safe from hackers.

“All wifi networks could be vulnerable to a determined hacker intent on breaking the law, and of course people have to take care,” a BT spokesman told the paper. “We entirely reject the idea that our customers’ bank or credit card detail are at risk. That’s complete nonsense.”

Michael Phillips, BroadbandChoices.co.uk product director, said: “The BT Home Hub comes with pre-configured security settings which although make it easier for the many technophobes out there, also make it easier to hack into.

“If you are a Home Hub user, don’t panic and stop using your router, but do be careful; make sure that you regularly change your encryption key, never use passwords that can easily be guessed and make sure you have a secure, up-to-date security suite installed,” he advised.

Customers with version 1.5 or above of the system are not at risk.

Use our free - Wireless key generator for unique, hard-to-crack passwords.