#How to Change Comcast Wi-Fi Password
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howdoyoucancelnordvpn · 1 year ago
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can you set up a comcast modem to use vpn
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can you set up a comcast modem to use vpn
Comcast modem setup
Title: A Comprehensive Guide to Comcast Modem Setup
Setting up your Comcast modem is the first step towards enjoying high-speed internet connectivity in your home or office. Whether you're a new subscriber or upgrading your equipment, the process can be straightforward with the right guidance. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you set up your Comcast modem quickly and efficiently.
Unbox and Inspect: Begin by unboxing your Comcast modem and inspecting the contents to ensure everything is included and in good condition. You should find the modem, power adapter, Ethernet cable, and any additional accessories provided by Comcast.
Choose a Suitable Location: Select a central location in your home or office for optimal Wi-Fi coverage. Avoid placing the modem near large appliances or objects that may interfere with the signal.
Connect the Modem: Start by connecting one end of the Ethernet cable to the Ethernet port on the modem and the other end to the Ethernet port on your computer or router.
Power Up: Plug the power adapter into the modem and then into a power outlet. Wait for the modem to power up fully, which may take a few minutes.
Activate Your Service: Once the modem is powered on, you'll need to activate your Comcast internet service. You can do this by visiting the Comcast website or calling their customer support line and following the prompts.
Test the Connection: After activation, test your internet connection by opening a web browser and navigating to a website. If the page loads successfully, your Comcast modem setup is complete.
Secure Your Network: To ensure the security of your network, consider changing the default Wi-Fi network name (SSID) and password. You can do this by accessing the modem's settings through a web browser.
By following these steps, you can successfully set up your Comcast modem and enjoy seamless internet connectivity in no time. If you encounter any difficulties during the setup process, don't hesitate to reach out to Comcast's customer support for assistance.
VPN configuration Comcast modem
Title: A Comprehensive Guide to Configuring a VPN on Comcast Modem
In today's digital landscape, ensuring online privacy and security has become paramount. With the increasing threats of data breaches and surveillance, many internet users are turning to Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) for protection. If you're a Comcast subscriber looking to enhance your online security, configuring a VPN on your Comcast modem is a wise step. Here's how you can do it effectively:
Choose a Compatible VPN Service: Before diving into the configuration process, it's crucial to select a VPN service that is compatible with Comcast modems. Opt for a reputable VPN provider known for its robust security features and reliable performance.
Access Your Comcast Modem Settings: Log in to your Comcast modem's administrative interface using a web browser. Typically, you can access it by entering the modem's IP address (often found on the modem itself) into the browser's address bar and entering your credentials.
Configure VPN Settings: Within the modem settings, locate the VPN configuration section. This may vary depending on the modem model, but commonly it's found under "Advanced Settings" or "Security" tabs. Follow the instructions provided by your VPN provider to input the required settings, including server information and authentication credentials.
Test Your VPN Connection: Once the configuration is complete, it's essential to test your VPN connection to ensure it's functioning correctly. Connect to the VPN server of your choice and verify that your internet traffic is encrypted and your IP address is masked.
Troubleshooting: If you encounter any issues during the configuration process or while using the VPN, refer to the troubleshooting guides provided by both Comcast and your VPN provider. Common issues such as connection drops or slow speeds can often be resolved with simple adjustments.
By configuring a VPN on your Comcast modem, you can safeguard your online activities and protect your sensitive data from prying eyes. Stay vigilant about keeping your VPN software updated and explore additional security measures to further enhance your online privacy.
VPN on Comcast modem
A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is a powerful tool that enhances online security and privacy by creating a secure connection over the internet. Using a VPN on a Comcast modem can further strengthen your online protection, ensuring that your internet activity remains private and secure from potential threats.
By installing a VPN on your Comcast modem, you can encrypt your internet traffic, making it difficult for hackers, ISPs, or any other third parties to intercept and monitor your online activities. This is particularly important when using public Wi-Fi networks or when accessing sensitive information such as online banking or personal emails.
Moreover, a VPN can help bypass geo-restrictions and access content that may be blocked in your region. By connecting to a VPN server in a different location, you can unlock a wider range of websites, streaming services, or online content that may not be available in your area.
Additionally, using a VPN on your Comcast modem can help prevent bandwidth throttling by your ISP. With a VPN, your internet traffic is encrypted, making it challenging for your ISP to monitor your data usage and selectively slow down your connection speed based on your online activities.
In conclusion, installing a VPN on your Comcast modem is a smart choice to enhance your online security, privacy, and freedom while browsing the internet. It offers a layer of protection that is essential in today's digital age, ensuring that your online presence is shielded from prying eyes and potential cyber threats.
Setting up VPN on Comcast modem
Setting up a Virtual Private Network (VPN) on a Comcast modem can enhance your online security and privacy by encrypting your internet connection. While Comcast modems do not have built-in VPN capabilities, you can still set up a VPN on your network to safeguard your data.
To set up a VPN on a Comcast modem, you need to follow a few simple steps. First, choose a reliable VPN service provider that offers user-friendly apps and strong encryption protocols. Sign up for a subscription and download the VPN app on your preferred device.
Next, access your Comcast modem's settings by entering the default IP address into your web browser. Locate the port forwarding section and enable port forwarding for the VPN protocol you are using (e.g. OpenVPN, L2TP/IPsec). Make sure to note down the port numbers for future reference.
After configuring port forwarding, launch the VPN app on your device and log in with your credentials. Connect to a VPN server of your choice and verify that your internet traffic is now encrypted. You can confirm the VPN connection by visiting a website like whatismyipaddress.com to check if your IP address has changed.
Setting up a VPN on a Comcast modem may vary depending on the VPN provider and modem model. It is recommended to consult your VPN service's support documentation or contact their customer support for assistance with any specific configurations.
In conclusion, setting up a VPN on a Comcast modem can significantly bolster your online security and privacy. By taking these steps, you can enjoy a safer and more secure internet browsing experience.
Comcast modem VPN tutorial
Title: A Comprehensive Guide to Setting Up a VPN on Your Comcast Modem
In today's digital age, safeguarding your online privacy is paramount. With the increasing prevalence of cyber threats and data breaches, using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) has become essential. If you're a Comcast user looking to enhance your online security, setting up a VPN on your Comcast modem is a prudent step. Here's a step-by-step tutorial to help you through the process:
Selecting a VPN Provider: Begin by researching and selecting a reputable VPN provider that suits your needs. Look for features such as strong encryption, a no-logs policy, and compatibility with your devices.
Subscription and Installation: Subscribe to your chosen VPN service and follow their instructions to install the VPN client on your devices, such as computers, smartphones, and tablets.
Router Compatibility Check: Before proceeding, ensure that your Comcast modem is compatible with VPN configurations. Some older models may not support VPN installations, so it's crucial to verify compatibility.
Accessing Router Settings: Log in to your Comcast modem's administrative interface using a web browser. Typically, you can do this by entering the modem's IP address into the browser's address bar and entering your login credentials.
VPN Configuration: Navigate to the VPN settings section within your modem's interface. Here, you'll need to input the VPN configuration details provided by your VPN provider, including the server address, username, and password.
Testing the Connection: Once you've entered the VPN configuration details, save your settings and reboot your Comcast modem. After the reboot, test the VPN connection on your devices to ensure it's working correctly.
Troubleshooting: If you encounter any issues during the setup process, consult your VPN provider's support documentation or reach out to their customer support for assistance.
By following these steps, you can successfully set up a VPN on your Comcast modem, enhancing your online security and privacy. Remember to regularly update your VPN client and modem firmware to stay protected against emerging threats. Stay safe and enjoy secure browsing with your newly configured VPN!
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veworway · 3 years ago
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Comcast how can i find my wifi password
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COMCAST HOW CAN I FIND MY WIFI PASSWORD HOW TO
COMCAST HOW CAN I FIND MY WIFI PASSWORD PASSWORD
COMCAST HOW CAN I FIND MY WIFI PASSWORD FREE
I have pushed the reset button on the router for 30+ seconds, unplugged the power for 5. I also tried on my iPad using the app with the same result.
COMCAST HOW CAN I FIND MY WIFI PASSWORD PASSWORD
Thanks for doing something morally praiseworthy to compensate for comcast’s greedy monopoly. I have tried via the Xfinity website repeatedly and get a message indicating success and telling me the network changes will take about 45 seconds, but the wifi name and password never change. Is it those “slow” turtles using DSL in their commercials? Nothing about DSL could be slower than spending days trying to get help from Comcast xfinity! It’s hard to believe they charge their customers extra to get help using their already expensive and poorly supported services. Turns out it was still my OLD wifi password… or it had been changed back the next day after they reset it.
COMCAST HOW CAN I FIND MY WIFI PASSWORD HOW TO
Second call, several days later after I’d tried in vain to get my devices to connect with the new wifi passphrase they entered (it worked once during my call to Comcast), your directions helped me discover how to get my password to show up on my own computer. (really?) The first time their tech changed my wifi password for me (rather than tell me how easy it was per your advice). – O / Darryl Brian, Thanks so much! I didn’t find your blog until after much useless research on Comcast sites and my second call to Comcast for customer “support”.
COMCAST HOW CAN I FIND MY WIFI PASSWORD FREE
If you did or have a question feel free to drop a line =) If you want to change the login password used in step 1 above, go to Troubleshooting -> Change Password, provide the Current Password, the New Password, and Re-enter New Password and press the SAVE button.Īnd you’re all set! Hope this was helpful.Change the Network Name (SSID) and the Network Password to whatever you desire and then press the SAVE SETTINGS button.In the menu on the left-hand side go to Gateway -> Connection -> WiFi and press the EDIT button next to your wireless network.The default userid is “admin”, the default password is “password”. Using your internet browser log into the router by typing the following address:  (assuming it is using the default address).To Change Your Network Name and Password for Xfinity or Comcast: The following directions are for Xfinity or Comcast. Fortunately, there is an easy way to change the wi-fi name and password. It’s even more embarrassing when friends come over and ask for your password and you have to play the game of reading it slowly for them to type it into their device. Ever get annoyed at the ridiculously long and confusing password for your wi-fi network given to you through your internet provider? Usually when you get your internet installed the wi-fi name and password is predetermined for you and the password is annoyingly long and often difficult to remember.
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ard1choke · 7 years ago
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The past month has seen one blockbuster revelation after another about how our mobile phone and broadband providers have been leaking highly sensitive customer information, including real-time location data and customer account details. In the wake of these consumer privacy debacles, many are left wondering who’s responsible for policing these industries? How exactly did we get to this point? What prospects are there for changes to address this national privacy crisis at the legislative and regulatory levels? These are some of the questions we’ll explore in this article.
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In 2015, the Federal Communications Commission under the Obama Administration reclassified broadband Internet companies as telecommunications providers, which gave the agency authority to regulate broadband providers the same way as telephone companies.
The FCC also came up with so-called “net neutrality” rules designed to prohibit Internet providers from blocking or slowing down traffic, or from offering “fast lane” access to companies willing to pay extra for certain content or for higher quality service.
In mid-2016, the FCC adopted new privacy rules for all Internet providers that would have required providers to seek opt-in permission from customers before collecting, storing, sharing and selling anything that might be considered sensitive — including Web browsing, application usage and location information, as well as financial and health data.
But the Obama administration’s new FCC privacy rules didn’t become final until December 2016, a month after then President-elect Trump was welcomed into office by a Republican controlled House and Senate.
Congress still had 90 legislative days (when lawmakers are physically in session) to pass a resolution killing the privacy regulations, and on March 23, 2017 the Senate voted 50-48 to repeal them. Approval of the repeal in the House passed quickly thereafter, and President Trump officially signed it on April 3, 2017.
In an op-ed published in The Washington Post, Ajit Pai — a former Verizon lawyer and President Trump’s pick to lead the FCC — said “despite hyperventilating headlines, Internet service providers have never planned to sell your individual browsing history to third parties.”
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FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai.
“That’s simply not how online advertising works,” Pai wrote. “And doing so would violate ISPs’ privacy promises. Second, Congress’s decision last week didn’t remove existing privacy protections; it simply cleared the way for us to work together to reinstate a rational and effective system for protecting consumer privacy.”
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) came to a different conclusion, predicting that the repeal of the FCC privacy rules would allow broadband providers to collect and sell a “gold mine of data” about customers.
“Your mobile broadband provider knows how you move about your day through information about your geolocation and internet activity through your mobile device,” Nelson said. The Senate resolution “will take consumers out of this driver’s seat and place the collection and use of their information behind a veil of secrecy.”
Meanwhile, pressure was building on the now Republican-controlled FCC to repeal the previous administration’s net neutrality rules. The major ISPs and mobile providers claimed the new regulations put them at a disadvantage relative to competitors that were not regulated by the FCC, such as Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google.
On Dec. 14, 2017, FCC Chairman Pai joined two other Republic FCC commissioners in a 3-2 vote to dismantle the net neutrality regulations.
As The New York Times observed after the net neutrality repeal, “the commission’s chairman, Ajit Pai, vigorously defended the repeal before the vote. He said the rollback of the rules would eventually benefit consumers because broadband providers like AT&T and Comcast could offer them a wider variety of service options.”
“We are helping consumers and promoting competition,” Mr. Pai said. “Broadband providers will have more incentive to build networks, especially to underserved areas.”
MORE OR LESS CHOICE?
Some might argue we’ve seen reduced competition and more industry consolidation since the FCC repealed the rules. Major broadband and mobile provider AT&T and cable/entertainment giant Time Warner are now fighting the Justice Department in a bid to merge. Two of the four-largest mobile telecom and broadband providers — T-Mobile and Sprint — have announced plans for a $26 billion merger.
The FCC privacy rules from 2016 that were overturned by Congress sought to give consumers more choice about how their data was to be used, stored and shared. But consumers now have less “choice” than ever about how their mobile provider shares their data and with whom. Worse, the mobile and broadband providers themselves are failing to secure their own customers’ data.
This month, it emerged that the major mobile providers have been giving commercial third-parties the ability to instantly look up the precise location of any mobile subscriber in real time. KrebsOnSecurity broke the news that one of these third parties — LocationSmart — leaked this ability for years to anyone via a buggy component on its Web site.
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LocationSmart’s demo page featured a buggy component which allowed anyone to look up anyone else’s mobile device location, in real time, and without consent.
We also learned that another California company — Securus Technologies — was selling real-time location lookups to a number of state and local law enforcement agencies, and that accounts for dozens of those law enforcement officers were obtained by hackers.  Securus, it turned out, was ultimately getting its data from LocationSmart.
This week, researchers discovered that a bug in T-Mobile’s Web site let anyone access the personal account details of any customer with just their cell phone number, including full name, address, account number and some cases tax ID numbers.
Not to be outdone, Comcast was revealed to have exposed sensitive information on customers through a buggy component of its Web site that could be tricked into displaying the home address where the company’s wireless router is located, as well as the router’s Wi-Fi name and password.
It’s not clear how FCC Chairman Pai intends to “reinstate a rational and effective system for protecting consumer privacy,” as he pledged after voting last year to overturn the 2015 privacy rules. The FCC reportedly has taken at least tentative steps to open an inquiry into the LocationSmart debacle, although Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has called on Chairman Pai to recuse himself on the inquiry because Pai once represented Securus as an attorney. (Wyden also had some choice words for the wireless companies).
The major wireless carriers all say they do not share customer location data without customer consent or in response to a court order or subpoena. Consent. All of these carriers pointed me to their privacy policies. It could be the carriers believe these policies clearly explain that simply by using their wireless device customers have opted-in to having their real-time location data sold or given to third-party companies.
Michelle De Mooy, director of the privacy and data project at the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT), said if the mobile giants are burying that disclosure in privacy policy legalese, that’s just not good enough.
“Even if they say, ‘Our privacy policy says we can do this,’ it violates peoples’ reasonable expectations of when and why their location data is being collected and how that’s going to be used. It’s not okay to simply point to your privacy policies and expect that to be enough.”
CHECKING THE FTC’S RECORD
When the FCC’s repeal of the net neutrality rules takes effect on June 11, 2018, broadband providers will once again be regulated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). That power was briefly shared with FCC when the agency under the Obama administration passed its net neutrality rules with the assumption that it could regulate broadband providers like telecommunications companies.
When it comes to investigating companies for privacy and security violations, the FTC’s primary weapon is The FTC Act, which “prohibits unfair and deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce.” According to the FTC Act, a “misrepresentation or omission is deceptive if it is material and is likely to mislead consumers acting reasonably under the circumstances.” It also finds that an act or practice “is unfair if it causes, or is likely to cause, substantial injury that is not reasonably avoidable by consumers, and not outweighed by countervailing benefits to consumers or competition.”
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It’s difficult to think of a bigger violation of those principles than the current practice by the major mobile providers of sharing real-time location data on customers with third parties, without any opportunity for customers to opt-in or opt-out of such sharing.
But it’s unclear whether the FTC would take take any action against such activity, or indeed if it has any precedent to do so. The agency had the ability to go after mobile broadband providers for privacy and security violations between 2002 and 2015, and so KrebsOnSecurity asked the commission to share how many times during that period that it took enforcement actions against broadband providers.
The list I got back from them wasn’t exactly privacy or security focused. The FTC cited a case in 2003 in which it sued AOL and CompuServe over unfair billing practices. In 2009, it helped to take down 3FN, a small, shady ISP that was based in the United States but run by Russians and hosting a stupendous amount of malware, scams and illegal content (i.e. child pornography).
In 2014, the FTC alleged that AT&T Mobility deceptively advertised “unlimited” data while throttling mobile customers who used certain amounts of data (this case is still pending but a recent appeals court decision cleared the way for the FTC to continue its lawsuit).
In 2015, TracFone, the largest prepaid mobile provider in the United States, agreed to pay $40 million to the FTC for consumer refunds to settle charges that it deceived millions of consumers with regard to its “unlimited” data service.
The FTC also cited a scolding letter (PDF) that it sent to Verizon over issues related to the security of its customer routers. No action was taken by the FTC in that case.
How eager the FTC will be to police privacy practices of broadband providers may come down to the priorities of the agency’s new leaders. The Trump administration just tapped Andrew Smith as head of the FTC’s consumer protection office. Smith is a lawyer who used to represent many of the companies that the agency is already investigating.
Smith will need to recuse himself from multiple ongoing investigations his office would normally lead, including data breaches at Equifax and Facebook, thanks to his previous work on behalf of the companies. According to The Hill, Smith testified in October before the Senate Banking Committee on behalf of the credit reporting industry as the panel investigated an Equifax data breach that compromised more than 145 million people.
Gigi Sohn, a fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law and Policy and a former senior adviser to former FCC Chair Tom Wheeler in 2015, said the FTC doesn’t have a strong record on broadband privacy enforcement.
Sohn said the FTC’s legal framework does not require affirmative opt-in consent for browsing history and app usage, and that a provider would only have to let you opt-out — something that consumers rarely do and which companies routinely make it hard to do. More importantly, she said, while the FCC’s rules would have protected consumers before they were harmed, the FTC can only act after harm has already occurred.
“We passed privacy rules for broadband and mobile providers that would have required them to seek customer opt-in for anything that was considered sensitive,” Sohn said of her work at the FCC under the Obama administration. “The carrier had to give you clear and consistent opportunities to opt out. It was very broad, but the definition we set for personal information was far broader than what even the FTC considered sensitive.”
REPEALING THE REPEAL OF NET NEUTRALITY
So the carriers are already reneging on their promise to customers that they won’t share location data without customer consent or a court order. But where does that leave us on net neutrality? The answer is that the major wireless carriers are already doing what was expressly prohibited under the FCC’s net neutrality rules: Favoring their own content over competitors, and letting companies gain more favorable access by paying more.
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Around the time of the FCC’s repeal of the net neutrality rules last year, The Wall Street Journal prognosticated about what might happen with the regulations out of the way. To do this, it looked at some of the offerings the mobile carriers pitched before the rules were drawn up.
“One example of how things could work is the mobile wireless market, where some providers already have used pricing tactics to favor certain websites and services over others,” wrote John D. McKinnon and Ryan Knutson for The Journal:
The 2015 Obama-era rules didn’t explicitly prohibit these tactics, which generally allow customers to access certain websites without having it count against their monthly data cap. Wireless carriers, which often subject their users to strict data limits, were aggressive in experimenting with such plans, also known as “zero rating.”
Deals began emerging several years ago for inexpensive plans that offer unlimited high-speed access to popular services such as Facebook or Twitter, but limited or even restricted access to the rest of the internet.
T-Mobile US Inc. in late 2013 announced that its GoSmart Mobile brand had “become the first wireless provider…to offer free access to Facebook and Facebook Messenger for all of its wireless customers, even those without monthly data service.” The GoSmart Mobile plans started at $25 a month for “unlimited talk” with no other data service. T-Mobile has since transferred the GoSmart brand to another wireless firm.
In 2014, Virgin Mobile USA, a unit of Sprint Corp. , offered a wireless plan that cost $12, but users were only allowed to access one website: either Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest. If they wanted all four, it was $10 more a month. Another $5 and they could access any online music streaming service.
Big internet providers also used zero-rating plans to favor their own content. AT&T Inc. gave paying customers unlimited usage of its own online video service DirecTV Now, while other video sites counted against monthly data caps. Verizon Communications Inc. did the same for its mobile video app, called go90.”
AT&T Mobility offers a zero-rating plan called “Sponsored Data” that allows content providers to pay up front to have streaming of that content allowed without counting against the provider’s monthly data caps.
Sohn said the FCC under the Obama administration initiated an investigation into AT&T’s Sponsored Data plan and Verizon for its go90 service, but that the inquiry was abandoned by the current FCC leadership.
There are some prospects for a Congressional repeal of this administration’s gutting of the FCC’s net neutrality rules. On May 16, the Senate approved a resolution nullifying the FCC’s rollback of the net neutrality rules. But the measure faces an uphill battle in the House.
“Right now we’re probably 30 to 40 members short of being able to bring a vote in the House,” Sohn said. “About 20 Democrats haven’t gotten on board, and we have no Republicans so far. But I think that’s going to change. If Congress repeals the net neutrality repeal, the next step would be to craft stronger rules [either at the FCC or Congress]. We have until the end of this Congress to get it done.”
The CDT’s De Mooy gives the effort to repeal the repeal of net neutrality rules slim chances of passage this year. But she said the prospects for revisiting net neutrality and consumer privacy in the next Congress look good, particularly if Democrats pick up additional seats in the House.
“It seems to be something the Democrats are taking up more now,” Demooy said. “So much depends on what happens in November. But that’s true of so many tech policy issues.”
SHOCK AND YAWN
When I first saw a Carnegie Mellon University researcher show me last week that he could look up the near-exact location of any mobile number in the United States, I sincerely believed the public would be amazed and horrified at the idea that mobile providers are sharing this real-time data with third party companies, and at the fact that those third parties in turn weren’t doing anything to prevent the abuse of their own systems.
Instead, after a brief round of coverage in several publications, the story fell out of the news cycle. A story this week in Slate.com lamented how little coverage the mainstream press has given to the LocationSmart scandal, and marvels at how much more shocked people were over the Cambridge Analytic scandal with Facebook.
“Privacy abuses and slip-ups by major tech companies have become so numerous, and the prospect of containing them seems so hopeless, that the public and much of the media have become nearly numb to them,” writes Will Oremus for Slate. “My data was hacked? So it goes. It may have been used in unauthorized ways by unspecified parties? C’est la vie.”
Oremus argues that what the LocationSmart scandal lacks is not import, nor the potential for serious harm, “but a link to some divisive political issue or societal outrage sufficient enough to generate visceral anger from people who aren’t privacy wonks.”
If you’ve read this far (bless you), don’t let breach fatigue and incessant media exposure of how little privacy we have harden into resignation. Yes, the prospects of any public debate about consumer privacy protections in the United States at the legislative level seem dim in a high-stakes mid-term election year. But supporters of net neutrality ideals can start getting involved by tweeting, calling and emailing the House lawmakers listed in red at BattleForTheNet.com.
While you’re at it, tell your lawmakers what you think about mobile providers giving or selling third-parties real-time access to customer location information, and let them know that this is no longer okay.
This is the second article in a two-part series. The first is here: Mobile Giants, Please Don’t Share the Where.
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helpcomputer4usa-blog · 6 years ago
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Change my xfinity wifi password
how to change xfinity wifi password  change wifi password for xfinity  change xfinity wifi password how to change my xfinity wifi password  change my xfinity wifi password   how do i change my xfinity wifi password  how to change your xfinity wifi password  change xfinity prepaid wifi password
How To Change Xfinity WiFi Password Guide Step by Step
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Xfinity is the trademark of Comcast Cable Communication, a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation and here we shall provide you with a how-to guide regarding how to change Xfinity password. It markets consumer cable, telephone, and wireless services.
If you have subscribed to Xfinity internet services, then you will know how to change Xfinity password. There are basically two ways to change in Xfinity password. The first method is by using the Xfinity My Account App. The other method is online by going to xfiity.com/account. Here we shall explain to you both the methods so that you can change the wi-fi password using any of the methods:
How To Change Password By Using Xfinity My Account App
Step 1: You must log in to your Xfinity account using your Xfinity username and password.
Step 2: Open the My Account app and tap on the Internet icon.
For android devices, from the upper-left corner of the screen tap on the menu icon.
Step 3: Tap on the option Wireless Gateway.
Step 4: Next select the option “Change Wi-fi Settings”.
Step 5: Now, enter your new network name and password. When done, tap on “Save”.
Step 6: Now, wait for a few minutes for Gateway to update your settings.
Step 7: Reconnect the wireless devices to your Wi-fi network with your new name and password.
Step 8: Now your username and password have been successfully saved.
How To Change the Password Online 
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If you have an Xfinity account, then you can change the password by logging into xfinity.com/myaccount. Here are the steps you need to follow:
Step 1: Open any browser and type xfinity.com/myaccount
Step 2: Now log in by entering your Xfinity username and password.
Step 3: Next, select the option “Settings”.
Step 4: Then select “Internet”.
Step 5: Now go to “Wi-fi Credentials”.
Step 6: Click on “Edit” to change your Wi-Fi name or Password.
Step 7: Enter your desired Wi-Fi name or password and click on “Save”.
Step 8: Now, reconnect your devices using the new name or password.
Your Wi-Fi name or password will be saved successfully and reflected immediately. The next time you disconnect any device from the wireless network, enter the new password to sign in to the network again.
Conclusion
Here we provided you with both the steps to change the password of your Xfinity wireless router. You can follow any of the methods to change your router’s password. If you still have any difficulties in changing your wi-fi’s password or have any suggestions, please let us know through the comment section below. 
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6 Annoying Router Problems And Solutions
These days, having access to wireless broadband is an absolute necessity for home offices and small businesses. And after more than a decade of innovations, you would think that the standard wireless gateway/router would be a picture-perfect product by now.
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While many routers offer good features, most still come with flaws that can make life a lot harder, such as confounding setups or limited security.
What follows are six router problems that, quite frankly, I find the most annoying. I looked for possible solutions, and while I didn't find one router that addressed all my concerns, I did discover features -- and routers -- that could make things a lot easier.
1. Difficult configuration
The problem: How long does it usually take you to set up your router? When was the last time you were able to get it right on the first try? What about when you wanted to add a new PC to your wireless network? And how about getting your wireless printer to connect to your network?
best router for comcast high speed internet , and getting the right combination of settings can be confounding. For example, even some reasonably experienced PC hands may not understand the differences between security settings or know that WPA-2 offers better protection than WEP and ordinary WPA.
These and other hitches are why setting up any router can still be vexing, even to an experienced computer user. Some, such as the Buffalo AirStation Wireless-N 300Mbps Cable Router WHR-HP-G300N ($53), have crowded menus with multiple layers that make navigation painful. Others, such as the Netgear RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N Gigabit Router WNDR3700 ($170), rely on a protected setup that has a long series of instructions that have to be followed to get a new PC on your network.
Possible solutions: Various vendors have tried to make things simpler with easy-setup CDs or one-click connection buttons, but they can't cover every possible circumstance. Buffalo's and Netgear's setup instructions go the extra mile by explicitly detailing the order in which you need to you plug everything in before you run the CD. (Cable modems in particular should be powered on before you connect your router to them.) That's a nice touch -- but it assumes you've read the printed instructions that came with the router. When was the last time you read the manual before you plugged in your new device?
Almost all routers have Web-based configuration screens, and as long as you remember the device's IP address, default username and password (which you should have changed when you set it up), you should be able to get into the setup screens and make any adjustments you need. It's just a matter of figuring out which adjustments are necessary.
The Cisco Valet M10($100), part of Cisco's recently introduced Valet line, comes with a USB key that has the configuration software on it. Once you set up one PC on your network, you use the key to run the configuration on any other PCs or Macs (the key also includes Mac software) without having to write down the wireless encryption key or other information.
Cisco has also made it a lot easier to set up other devices, such as wireless printers, by providing a summary screen with all the relevant information about your wireless network that you can print out for easy reference when you run the setup program on the USB key.
Buffalo has a nice diagnostic routine that checks to see if you have Internet connectivity and that your router is configured properly. You run it from the Web configuration console.
Apple's AirPort Express ($99) is simple to set up and has some neat features, including the ability to share USB printers and to share audio across the network to a connected stereo receiver. You can also extend the range of your existing AirPort base station, which is something that most Wi-Fi routers can't easily do. But if you've got a Windows PC, you've got to install Bonjour, and adding a new PC to an existing network isn't as easy as it could be.
2. Enabling file sharing from your router
The problem: Why spend money on a separate network-attached storage (NAS) unit when you can use your router for sharing files? Many routers come with USB ports to which you can connect an external USB drive for simple backup or file sharing.
Sadly, although plugging in an external drive should be as easy as -- well, as just plugging in the drive -- getting that drive set up isn't always simple. The Linksys WRT610N Wireless-N Router ($200), for example, has a complex setup screen that you need to fill out when you attach a USB drive to it.
It would be nice to have software that enables the sharing without a lot of setup hassles. It should be easy to connect the computers across your network to this shared storage, by using either the router's SSID name or IP address. You also need to be able to password-protect your shared drive so that it isn't open for anyone who's connected to the network.
Possible solutions: Various routers include USB ports, such as those from Linksys, Belkin and Netgear.
It's all a matter of what software is used to configure the USB drive and whether you need anything else on the Windows or Mac client end to connect to the shared drive.
Best available routers: The Belkin N+ Wireless Router ($120) has a separate software configuration utility that works for both Windows and Mac systems and needs to be run only once to set up the external shared drive. After that, you can connect to the shared drive by entering its IP address, such as \\192.168.1.1\sharename. The product isn't perfect, though: There is no way to password-protect the files on the shared drive.
The Netgear RangeMax doesn't require any additional software and can password-protect the files. It also offers a wide variety of access methods, including FTP and Web sharing, from its setup screen.
3. Performing firmware updates
The problem: Router firmware is an important first line of security defense on your network and needs to be kept up to date. But finding firmware updates on a vendor's Web site is not for everyone, and many vendors don't make it easy.
You have to bring up your browser, go to the vendor's support site and try to track down the current version for your particular router model. You then have to download the file to your PC and upload it to your router in the right place in the router's Web control panel screen.
To complicate matters, vendors often have several different versions for each router model, because they make frequent improvements to the router, often changing chip sets but keeping the version number the same.
Possible solutions: Make the update automatic or at least easily selectable, so you don't have to go through the tortured process of downloading and uploading the file.
Check the firmware update section in each router's Web setup screens to see if the router can automatically upgrade itself.
Best available routers: Belkin's N+ Wireless and Netgear's RangeMax both have a menu-selectable software switch to enable the updates. Once this is set, you can forget about it and be confident that you will always have the latest firmware.
4. Enabling temporary wireless access
The problem: If you have visitors or needy neighbors, do you really want them to have permanent access to your entire network? Even if you trust them on your network, do you know how good their own security is? (For example, will your neighbor's notebook end up in the hands of his teenager?) If you simply give a visitor your router password, then you probably need to change this information when he leaves your home or office -- which is a real pain.
Possible solutions: A good idea would be to grant them temporary guest access that gives them just an Internet connection and nothing else on your network, such as shared drives or printers.
Vendors have begun to enable this on their routers in a variety of ways. Belkin, for example, has an option it calls "Hotel-style," meaning that users are directed to a Web landing page where they enter a special guest password. Other vendors make it easy to set up separate wireless networks just for guests. (If you use Apple's AirPort Express, on the other hand, you're out of luck -- there isn't any guest access.)
Best available routers: The USB key that you can create with Cisco's Valet can help here as well. You need to run an automated setup routine from the USB key (rather than from the Web UI) on each of your guest computers. Once you do, it will set up a separate wireless network with a different name and password that only allows Internet access.
5. Determining who is on your wireless network
The problem: Just because you think your network is secure doesn't mean that it is. It's probably a good idea to regularly check to see who is using your router -- especially if you haven't changed your router's default password. However, in a world where it's hard enough to remember to back up your computer, it's unlikely that most of us have the time or inclination to regularly check who has been on our networks.
And even if we want to, it's not always easy. Typically, most router Web UIs indicate who is currently connected, but finding this out requires digging through many menus. Sometimes the vendors hide this information under a title like "DHCP client list" and/or give you just the IP addresses and host names of current connections.
Wouldn't it be helpful if your router notified you every time someone connected? Even better, how about a historical view that shows you when and who connected to your network over the last week?
youtube
0 notes
moniquecronger · 6 years ago
Text
Netflix Free APK Download – for Android iOS and PC
Are you addicted to Netflix? If you are the lover of streaming trending videos online & offline? You have come in right place. Netflix Free APK download for Android, ISO, PC, and tablet. Netflix tv app provides free streaming services to watch Tv shows and movies anytime and anyplace.
By using Netflix Mod APK you can watch and view TV episodes on your smart device.
If you want to get a free application on your device. At fast, you have to need as a member of Netflix.  As a free member of an offline movie, you can directly watch thousands of TV series & cinemas on your Android devices.
Stay to connect constantly entertained into Netflix TV APK. That has been more updated with the best performance ever then old version.
You can access Netflix to sing up options without any interruption and logging errors.  Which allow to you search any titles of an episode in seconds.
Netflix Free 123 APK Download for Android Features:
There are two version netfix123 APKMOD. One of them free and another is paid. The premium Netflix modded v6.60.1 allow to use the application without any subscription.
We are going to provide you the list of several options of Netflix paid MOD APK 2019.
The version of the app has more advantages features that is very easy to control and get access to the app.
Using this app, you can enjoy the list of the latest movies and TV streaming’s program on that.
Thus, you have a strong WI-FI data connection on your device. You will able to enjoy 4K picture quality. Although, it will prove all in one that if you fast setup Netflix 2019 premium MOK APK let us know about cool features.
Use Netflix Premium MOD APK enjoy unlimited TV series and movies for free.
By using this application, you can instantly watch trending hot moves and Tv Episode whenever you want any place.
Allow to browse the latest list of titles and new episodes and add to your regular basis. Enjoy and observe them to ultra HD in Netflix 6.20.1 APK
You can watch all downloading titles on your smartphone with a premium Id for free.
It permits to pause your video and playback in your device by any tool and another time. I like this option of this premium net fix Mod APK, that has included.
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 Add and checkup netfix.com for all the popular game consoles, Blu-ray games, phones, pill, and set up of your desire what you want to Netflix.
Tumblr media
More info NetFlix MOD APK 2019
Name:  Netflix APK
Developer: Netflix, Inc
Type:  MOD
Latest Version:     6.12.0
File Size:    11 MB
Last Updated:    Always updated with official
How to Netflix sign up – Choose your plan?
You can use two methods to sign in Netflix.com
If you already a Netflix subscriber? you can sing up by using Netflix app on X1.
If you’re not interested in Netflix subscriber, you can right away sing in through Comcast.  Let’s take read about these tricks.
Let’s start to sing up Netflix on X1.
1st step: Allow the Netflix app on x1. After access the app x1 it will show the entertainment menu on the home screen.
2nd step: Appear on two options, join free for 1 month or sign in. you have the select sign-in options to the right Conner.
3rd step: fill up your full contact info with User Name and Strong password.
Well done, if you complete the full registration process successfully. Now you are able to watch streaming Netflix content and you can save your password and logged info until you sign out.
Anyhow you can find any trouble with your Netflix username or password. You can see another guide to Getting a Netflix Account.
How to Download Netflix new version for Android – Free Netflix App
You’d like to run this application on your Android phone, fast you have to download this app kokoTime click hereto your device.
After complete the downloading this app go to settings > security > and allow unknown sources.
Now select the APK file location which you downloaded of name kokoTime and run it.
After completing the installation process, this app then sings up. You can now watch various type of Movie/Tv show just search here and tap on it.
How to watch Netflix movies & Tv episode for free on Android by using this method.
Some time may be clicking after on the movie and tv shows if you don’t see anything doesn’t worry about this black screen. I recommend to download and install Opera VPN from Google play store or click here if you don’t have on your Android mobile. I hope you can properly apply this method you are able to watch Netflix movies and tv shows for free on Android smartphone.
Once you downloaded opera VPN then install it and change your IP location & select united states and click on connect.
Tumblr media
Download MOD APK File
Read More:Fake caller ID – APK Latest Version 2.4.1 fakecallerid.io.app
How to download & install Netflix for iPhone?
How is it possible to leave out the ios platform, as well it has grabbed the second position smartphone all over the world.
Netflix has got more popularity day by day. It is available for the Apple app store. So, all iOS users are able to download Netflix easily.
You can use all kind of iOS device like iPad & iPod touch to very easily. However, we will have to need to know all new iOS users have and concept how they download for iOS devices.
  If you are a user of an iOS device, you must have an Apple account, if you don’t have an account you can’t download the app.
Now, ahead app store from your iOS device and tap on the search icon which is at the foot of the screen.
Write in “Netflix” and search. Then click the search bar on your keyboard.
It will appear on result top of the list.
Click over on the app, it is free just after clicking this application. It will install within a few seconds. Click to start to download Netflix on your iOS version.
After completing the installation process, it will display an icon on your home screen. It will show the end of the page or late sometime to appear on the screen. See more: 7 Best Secret Phone SPY Camera APP – For Recorder Video
Tumblr media
As a whole, the app will show with a little bit different iOS version but all devices features are the same as.
Must Read:Top 10 Music Player for Android 2019 – Apps Complete List is Here
How to use the Netflix app for PC?
Using Netflix tv app you can even enjoy your special movies and videos on your PC. Use Netflix different way to your computer. You can run the official application from the windows store achieving on windows 8 or 10.
And lastly, if you aren’t able to run to your pc. You can watch movies and Tv shows directly on the Netflix website through your pc.
We are going to show you a method on how to use properly on your PC.
Tumblr media
Real Method:
– Go to windows search options or windows store on your pc then search “Netflix”.
– By selecting this app from the search result then click the “Free” button. It will show a notice, do you have been created an ID
– You need to have a Microsoft account in order to run it from the windows play-store. If you don’t have an account, simply you can create it into simple steps like other accounts.
-After completing the profile creation, then sing in with this account and install Netflix tv app from the store, and start watching.
I don’t want store full up so you can easily go to Netflix.com and watch TV directly through your personal Netflix sign-in account.
I hope this post will help you if you face any trouble feel free to ask us our comment section.
This Post Netflix Free APK Download – for Android iOS and PC   appear fast on Eapkmod
0 notes
msruthesoto-blog · 6 years ago
Text
Netflix Free APK Download – for Android iOS and PC
Are you addicted to Netflix? If you are the lover of streaming trending videos online & offline? You have come in right place. Netflix Free APK download for Android, ISO, PC, and tablet. Netflix tv app provides free streaming services to watch Tv shows and movies anytime and anyplace.
By using Netflix Mod APK you can watch and view TV episodes on your smart device.
If you want to get a free application on your device. At fast, you have to need as a member of Netflix.  As a free member of an offline movie, you can directly watch thousands of TV series & cinemas on your Android devices.
Stay to connect constantly entertained into Netflix TV APK. That has been more updated with the best performance ever then old version.
You can access Netflix to sing up options without any interruption and logging errors.  Which allow to you search any titles of an episode in seconds.
Netflix Free 123 APK Download for Android Features:
There are two version netfix123 APKMOD. One of them free and another is paid. The premium Netflix modded v6.60.1 allow to use the application without any subscription.
We are going to provide you the list of several options of Netflix paid MOD APK 2019.
The version of the app has more advantages features that is very easy to control and get access to the app.
Using this app, you can enjoy the list of the latest movies and TV streaming’s program on that.
Thus, you have a strong WI-FI data connection on your device. You will able to enjoy 4K picture quality. Although, it will prove all in one that if you fast setup Netflix 2019 premium MOK APK let us know about cool features.
Use Netflix Premium MOD APK enjoy unlimited TV series and movies for free.
By using this application, you can instantly watch trending hot moves and Tv Episode whenever you want any place.
Allow to browse the latest list of titles and new episodes and add to your regular basis. Enjoy and observe them to ultra HD in Netflix 6.20.1 APK
You can watch all downloading titles on your smartphone with a premium Id for free.
It permits to pause your video and playback in your device by any tool and another time. I like this option of this premium net fix Mod APK, that has included.
Easily give the rating to your favorite content and films what you want Netflix it will give you propose thesis title for you.
 Add and checkup netfix.com for all the popular game consoles, Blu-ray games, phones, pill, and set up of your desire what you want to Netflix.
Tumblr media
More info NetFlix MOD APK 2019
Name:  Netflix APK
Developer: Netflix, Inc
Type:  MOD
Latest Version:     6.12.0
File Size:    11 MB
Last Updated:    Always updated with official
How to Netflix sign up – Choose your plan?
You can use two methods to sign in Netflix.com
If you already a Netflix subscriber? you can sing up by using Netflix app on X1.
If you’re not interested in Netflix subscriber, you can right away sing in through Comcast.  Let’s take read about these tricks.
Let’s start to sing up Netflix on X1.
1st step: Allow the Netflix app on x1. After access the app x1 it will show the entertainment menu on the home screen.
2nd step: Appear on two options, join free for 1 month or sign in. you have the select sign-in options to the right Conner.
3rd step: fill up your full contact info with User Name and Strong password.
Well done, if you complete the full registration process successfully. Now you are able to watch streaming Netflix content and you can save your password and logged info until you sign out.
Anyhow you can find any trouble with your Netflix username or password. You can see another guide to Getting a Netflix Account.
How to Download Netflix new version for Android – Free Netflix App
You’d like to run this application on your Android phone, fast you have to download this app kokoTime click hereto your device.
After complete the downloading this app go to settings > security > and allow unknown sources.
Now select the APK file location which you downloaded of name kokoTime and run it.
After completing the installation process, this app then sings up. You can now watch various type of Movie/Tv show just search here and tap on it.
How to watch Netflix movies & Tv episode for free on Android by using this method.
Some time may be clicking after on the movie and tv shows if you don’t see anything doesn’t worry about this black screen. I recommend to download and install Opera VPN from Google play store or click here if you don’t have on your Android mobile. I hope you can properly apply this method you are able to watch Netflix movies and tv shows for free on Android smartphone.
Once you downloaded opera VPN then install it and change your IP location & select united states and click on connect.
Tumblr media
Download MOD APK File
Read More:Fake caller ID – APK Latest Version 2.4.1 fakecallerid.io.app
How to download & install Netflix for iPhone?
How is it possible to leave out the ios platform, as well it has grabbed the second position smartphone all over the world.
Netflix has got more popularity day by day. It is available for the Apple app store. So, all iOS users are able to download Netflix easily.
You can use all kind of iOS device like iPad & iPod touch to very easily. However, we will have to need to know all new iOS users have and concept how they download for iOS devices.
  If you are a user of an iOS device, you must have an Apple account, if you don’t have an account you can’t download the app.
Now, ahead app store from your iOS device and tap on the search icon which is at the foot of the screen.
Write in “Netflix” and search. Then click the search bar on your keyboard.
It will appear on result top of the list.
Click over on the app, it is free just after clicking this application. It will install within a few seconds. Click to start to download Netflix on your iOS version.
After completing the installation process, it will display an icon on your home screen. It will show the end of the page or late sometime to appear on the screen. See more: 7 Best Secret Phone SPY Camera APP – For Recorder Video
Tumblr media
As a whole, the app will show with a little bit different iOS version but all devices features are the same as.
Must Read:Top 10 Music Player for Android 2019 – Apps Complete List is Here
How to use the Netflix app for PC?
Using Netflix tv app you can even enjoy your special movies and videos on your PC. Use Netflix different way to your computer. You can run the official application from the windows store achieving on windows 8 or 10.
And lastly, if you aren’t able to run to your pc. You can watch movies and Tv shows directly on the Netflix website through your pc.
We are going to show you a method on how to use properly on your PC.
Tumblr media
Real Method:
– Go to windows search options or windows store on your pc then search “Netflix”.
– By selecting this app from the search result then click the “Free” button. It will show a notice, do you have been created an ID
– You need to have a Microsoft account in order to run it from the windows play-store. If you don’t have an account, simply you can create it into simple steps like other accounts.
-After completing the profile creation, then sing in with this account and install Netflix tv app from the store, and start watching.
I don’t want store full up so you can easily go to Netflix.com and watch TV directly through your personal Netflix sign-in account.
I hope this post will help you if you face any trouble feel free to ask us our comment section.
This post- Netflix Free APK Download – for Android iOS and PC appeared fast on Eakmod
0 notes
kindlecomparedinfo · 7 years ago
Text
Comcast is leaking the names and passwords of customers’ wireless routers
Comcast has just been caught in a major security snafu: revealing the passwords of its customers’ Xfinity-provided wireless routers in plaintext on the web. Anyone with a subscriber’s account number and street address number will be served up the Wi-Fi name and password via the company’s Xfinity internet activation service.
Security researchers Karan Saini and Ryan Stevenson reported the issue to ZDnet.
The site is meant to help people setting up their internet for the first time: ideally, you put in your data, and Comcast sends back the router credentials while activating the service.
The problem is threefold:
You can “activate” an account that’s already active
The data required to do so is minimal and it is not verified via text or email
The wireless name and password are sent on the web in plaintext
This means that anyone with your account number and street address number (e.g. the 1425 in “1425 Alder Ave,” no street name, city, or apartment number needed), both of which can be found on your paper bill or in an email, will instantly be given your router’s SSID and password, allowing them to log in and use it however they like or monitor its traffic. They could also rename the router’s network or change its password, locking out subscribers.
This only affects people who use a router provided by Xfinity/Comcast, which comes with its own name and password built in. Though it also returns custom SSIDs and passwords, since they’re synced with your account and can be changed via app and other methods.
What can you do? While this problem is at large, it’s no good changing your password — Comcast will just provide any malicious actor the new one. So until further notice all of Comcast’s Xfinity customers with routers provided by the company are at risk.
One thing you can do for now is treat your home network as if it is a public one — if you must use it, make sure encryption is enabled if you conduct any private business like buying things online. What will likely happen is Comcast will issue a notice and ask users to change their router passwords at large.
Another is to buy your own router — this is a good idea anyway, as it will pay for itself in a few months and you can do more stuff with it. Which to buy and how to install it, however, are beyond the scope of this article. But if you’re really worried, you could conceivably fix this security issue today by bringing your own hardware to the bargain.
I’ve contacted the company for comment and will update when I hear back.
from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8176395 https://techcrunch.com/2018/05/21/comcast-is-leaking-the-names-and-passwords-of-customers-wireless-routers/ via http://www.kindlecompared.com/kindle-comparison/
0 notes
theinvinciblenoob · 6 years ago
Link
Comcast is putting AI to work to protect its customers’ home networks. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the company announced Xfinity xFi Advanced Security, an AI-powered service designed to monitor, block and inform customers about online threats while providing protection for all connected devices in the home — including smart home and “Internet-of-things” devices that are often the target of online attacks due to their weaker security.
People’s homes no longer only have computers and phones connecting to the internet. Today, our houses are filled with connected devices, like voice-powered speakers, smart home appliances, security cameras, connected doorbells and thermostats and much more. Even some kids’ toys connect to the internet.
According to data from Cisco, there will be nearly 13 connected devices per person in North America. And the number of attacks across these connected devices is growing — by 600 percent between 2016 and 2017, Symantec reported.
That’s where Comcast’s new subscription service comes in. xFi Advanced Security is available to turn on from within the existing xFi app, where it then begins to monitor and manage the network traffic.
The system analyzes the traffic using AI and machine learning technologies, then automatically blocks anything it deems “suspicious activity.”
“We can see traffic coming in that’s not normal — coming from weird IP addresses or known bots, and we can look at the heuristics of the traffic to basically stop it,” explains Fraser Stirling, senior vice president of Digital Home, Devices and AI at Comcast. “It’s basically like anomaly detection. We understand that device from all the devices that are connected by brand and model. We can understand what that traffic looks like…so if [the device] starts to do something that’s abnormal to the pattern for your house or for all the people that are using the same thing, we can track that as an anomaly.”
For example, if a device that normally goes to a certain IP address to get its firmware updates is all of a sudden going somewhere else, the service can block the traffic and alert you.
“The most important part of the product is that we tell you,” he says.
Customers will be alerted to these blocked threats in real time and offered instructions on how to further secure their devices, if need be. For example, if it blocked a suspicious website that was distributing malware, it will provide the URL and explanation. It will later provide the website you visited where that link may have been embedded — helpful in the case of malicious ads, among other things.
A second use case for the product is its proactive scans, which can alert you to other issues — like if a device has all its ports open, for example, which makes it vulnerable to attacks. xFi Advanced Security can close those ports, but it can block the malicious traffic and tell you what’s happening and why through its alerts.
All these alerts can be viewed from the xFi dashboard both online and in the xFi app.
The system is powered in part by the AI platform Cujo AI, incidentally a TechCrunch Disrupt NY 2016 Battlefield finalist. Comcast won’t detail the specifics of its arrangement with Cujo, which it refers to as “ingredient technology partner.” However, it hasn’t made a strategic investment, the way it had done with Plume, the maker of what are now called the xFi Pods.
Beyond enabling the subscription, the new security service doesn’t require set up on the customer’s part. Customers just plug in their various connected devices and turn them on. Afterwards, xFi Advanced Security identifies the device and allows it to add them to a user profile — like mom, dad or child, or to the general “household” profile, which covers smart home devices or those used by all.
The service, once enabled, immediately begins to scan and protect the home network — including devices plugged in through Ethernet as well as those connected wirelessly.
In a later version, the company is considering offering more information about the threats it detects and blocks, as well as information about potential security issues — like if a device needs a firmware update, for instance.
While xFi Advanced Security sounds good in theory, security experts tend to be unimpressed until they’re able to put a product through its paces. So it’s too soon to give it a recommendation on that front.
After all, many of today’s smart home devices — especially the cheaper ones — weren’t built with a security-first mindset, and are riddled with flaws. A threat-scanning service can’t actually fix their issues — like their use of default passwords, UPnP left on by default, root passwords in the firmware or a telnet port left open, for example. xFi Advanced Security can alert you to those issues, however, in some cases.
But people could protect their network if they’d just close UPnP on the router itself, and change the default passwords on the smart devices they connect. And they could do so without a subscription. But most people don’t know how to do these things.
For Comcast, xFi Advanced Security presents an opportunity to generate revenue from xFi customers through services that expand the capabilities of its existing xFi platform. It’s the first subscription-based offering to live on top of xFi, in fact.
Launched in 2017, xFi lets customers control their home networks from a dashboard to do things like set parental controls, pause the Wi-Fi and receive alerts about home network activity, among other things.
The new xFi Advanced Security integrates here, and customers can choose to sign up within the xFi app.
The service is $5.99 per month and is available to any customer who rents an xFi Gateway — meaning, some 15 million homes, notes Comcast. In some markets, it also will be sold as part of a package deal, the company says.
The cost of the Gateway ranges from $11 to $13 per month, as prices vary by market. The xFi app is free and available both on Android and iOS.
Additional reporting: Zack Whittaker
via TechCrunch
0 notes
toomanysinks · 6 years ago
Text
Comcast debuts a subscription service to protect against threats to smart home devices
Comcast is putting A.I. to work to protect its customers’ home networks. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the company announced Xfinity xFi Advanced Security, an A.I.-powered service designed to monitor, block and inform customers about online threats while providing protection for all connected devices in the home – including smart home and “internet-of-things” devices that are often the target of online attacks due to their weaker security.
People’s homes no longer only have computers and phones connecting to the internet. Today, our houses are filled with connected devices, like voice-powered speakers, smart home appliances, security cameras, connected doorbells and thermostats and much more. Even some kids’ toys connect to the internet.
According to data from Cisco, there will be nearly 13 connected devices per person in North America. And the number of attacks across these connected devices is growing – by 600 percent between 2016 and 2017, Symantec reported.
That’s where Comcast’s new subscription service comes in. xFi Advanced Security is available to turn on from within the existing xFi app, where it then begins to monitor and manage the network traffic.
The system analyzes the traffic using A.I. and machine learning technologies, then automatically blocks anything it deems “suspicious activity.”
“We can see traffic coming in that’s not normal – coming from weird IP addresses or known bots, and we can look at the heuristics of the traffic to basically stop it,” explains Fraser Stirling, Senior Vice President of Digital Home, Devices and AI at Comcast. “It’s basically like anomaly detection. We understand that device from all the devices that are connected by brand and model. We can understand what that traffic looks like…so if [the device] starts to do something that’s abnormal to the pattern for your house or for all the people that are using the same thing, we can track that as an anomaly.”
For example, if a device that normally goes to a certain IP address to get its firmware updates is all of a sudden going somewhere else, the service can block the traffic and alert you.
“The most important part of the product is that we tell you,” he says.
Customers will be alerted to these blocked threats in real-time and offered instructions on how to further secure their devices, if need be. For example, if it blocked a suspicious website that was distributing malware, it will provide the URL and explanation. It will later provide the website you visited where that link may have been embedded – helpful in the case of malicious ads, among other things.
A second use case for the product is its proactive scans, which can alert you to other issues – like if a device has all its ports open, for example, which makes it vulnerable to attacks. xFi Advanced Security can close those ports, but it can block the malicious traffic and tell you what’s happening and why through its alerts.
All these alerts can be viewed from the xFi dashboard both online and in the xFi app.
The system is powered in part by the A.I. platform Cujo AI, incidentally a TechCrunch Disrupt NY 2016 Battlefield finalist. Comcast won’t detail the specifics of its arrangement with Cujo, which it refers to as “ingredient technology partner.” However, it hasn’t made a strategic investment, the way it had done with Plume, the maker of what are now called the xFi Pods.
Beyond enabling the subscription, the new security service doesn’t require set up on the customer’s part. Customers just plug in their various connected devices and turn them on. Afterwards, xFi Advanced Security identifies the device and allows to add them to a user profile – like mom, dad, or child or to the general “household” profile, which covers smart home devices or those used by all.
The service, once enabled, immediately begins to scan and protect the home network – including devices plugged in through Ethernet as well as those connected wirelessly.
In a later version, the company is considering offering more information about the threats it detects and blocks, as well as information about potential security issues – like if a device needs a firmware update, for instance.
While xFi Advanced Security sounds good in theory, security experts tend to be unimpressed until they’re able to put a product through its paces. So it’s too soon to give it a recommendation on that front.
After all, many of today’s smart home devices – especially the cheaper ones – weren’t built with a security-first mindset, and are riddled with flaws. A threat-scanning service can’t actually fix their issues – like their use of default passwords, UPnP left on by default, root passwords in the firmware, or a telnet port left open, for example. xFi Advanced Security can alert you to those issues, however, in some cases.
But people could protect their network if they’d just close UPnP on the router itself, and change the default passwords on the smart devices they connect. And they could do so without a subscription. But most people don’t know how to do these things.
For Comcast, xFi Advanced Security presents an opportunity to generate revenue from xFi customers through services that expand the capabilities of its existing xFi platform. It’s the first subscription-based offering to live on top of xFi, in fact.
Launched in 2017, xFi lets customers control their home networks from a dashboard to do things like set parental controls, pause the Wi-Fi and receive alerts about home network activity, among other things.
The new xFi Advanced Security integrates here, and customers can choose to sign up within the xFi app.
The service is $5.99 per month and is available to any customer who rents an xFi Gateway – meaning, some 15 million homes, notes Comcast. In some markets, it will also be sold as part of package deal, the company says.
The cost of the Gateway ranges from $11 to $13 per month, as prices vary by market. The xFi app is free and available both on Android and iOS.
Additional reporting: Zack Whittaker
source https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/08/comcast-debuts-a-subscription-service-to-protect-against-threats-to-smart-home-devices/
0 notes
fmservers · 6 years ago
Text
Comcast debuts a subscription service to protect against threats to smart home devices
Comcast is putting A.I. to work to protect its customers’ home networks. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the company announced Xfinity xFi Advanced Security, an A.I.-powered service designed to monitor, block and inform customers about online threats while providing protection for all connected devices in the home – including smart home and “internet-of-things” devices that are often the target of online attacks due to their weaker security.
People’s homes no longer only have computers and phones connecting to the internet. Today, our houses are filled with connected devices, like voice-powered speakers, smart home appliances, security cameras, connected doorbells and thermostats and much more. Even some kids’ toys connect to the internet.
According to data from Cisco, there will be nearly 13 connected devices per person in North America. And the number of attacks across these connected devices is growing – by 600 percent between 2016 and 2017, Symantec reported.
That’s where Comcast’s new subscription service comes in. xFi Advanced Security is available to turn on from within the existing xFi app, where it then begins to monitor and manage the network traffic.
The system analyzes the traffic using A.I. and machine learning technologies, then automatically blocks anything it deems “suspicious activity.”
“We can see traffic coming in that’s not normal – coming from weird IP addresses or known bots, and we can look at the heuristics of the traffic to basically stop it,” explains Fraser Stirling, Senior Vice President of Digital Home, Devices and AI at Comcast. “It’s basically like anomaly detection. We understand that device from all the devices that are connected by brand and model. We can understand what that traffic looks like…so if [the device] starts to do something that’s abnormal to the pattern for your house or for all the people that are using the same thing, we can track that as an anomaly.”
For example, if a device that normally goes to a certain IP address to get its firmware updates is all of a sudden going somewhere else, the service can block the traffic and alert you.
“The most important part of the product is that we tell you,” he says.
Customers will be alerted to these blocked threats in real-time and offered instructions on how to further secure their devices, if need be. For example, if it blocked a suspicious website that was distributing malware, it will provide the URL and explanation. It will later provide the website you visited where that link may have been embedded – helpful in the case of malicious ads, among other things.
A second use case for the product is its proactive scans, which can alert you to other issues – like if a device has all its ports open, for example, which makes it vulnerable to attacks. xFi Advanced Security can close those ports, but it can block the malicious traffic and tell you what’s happening and why through its alerts.
All these alerts can be viewed from the xFi dashboard both online and in the xFi app.
The system is powered in part by the A.I. platform Cujo AI, incidentally a TechCrunch Disrupt NY 2016 Battlefield finalist. Comcast won’t detail the specifics of its arrangement with Cujo, which it refers to as “ingredient technology partner.” However, it hasn’t made a strategic investment, the way it had done with Plume, the maker of what are now called the xFi Pods.
Beyond enabling the subscription, the new security service doesn’t require set up on the customer’s part. Customers just plug in their various connected devices and turn them on. Afterwards, xFi Advanced Security identifies the device and allows to add them to a user profile – like mom, dad, or child or to the general “household” profile, which covers smart home devices or those used by all.
The service, once enabled, immediately begins to scan and protect the home network – including devices plugged in through Ethernet as well as those connected wirelessly.
In a later version, the company is considering offering more information about the threats it detects and blocks, as well as information about potential security issues – like if a device needs a firmware update, for instance.
While xFi Advanced Security sounds good in theory, security experts tend to be unimpressed until they’re able to put a product through its paces. So it’s too soon to give it a recommendation on that front.
After all, many of today’s smart home devices – especially the cheaper ones – weren’t built with a security-first mindset, and are riddled with flaws. A threat-scanning service can’t actually fix their issues – like their use of default passwords, UPnP left on by default, root passwords in the firmware, or a telnet port left open, for example. xFi Advanced Security can alert you to those issues, however, in some cases.
But people could protect their network if they’d just close UPnP on the router itself, and change the default passwords on the smart devices they connect. And they could do so without a subscription. But most people don’t know how to do these things.
For Comcast, xFi Advanced Security presents an opportunity to generate revenue from xFi customers through services that expand the capabilities of its existing xFi platform. It’s the first subscription-based offering to live on top of xFi, in fact.
Launched in 2017, xFi lets customers control their home networks from a dashboard to do things like set parental controls, pause the Wi-Fi and receive alerts about home network activity, among other things.
The new xFi Advanced Security integrates here, and customers can choose to sign up within the xFi app.
The service is $5.99 per month and is available to any customer who rents an xFi Gateway – meaning, some 15 million homes, notes Comcast. In some markets, it will also be sold as part of package deal, the company says.
The cost of the Gateway ranges from $11 to $13 per month, as prices vary by market. The xFi app is free and available both on Android and iOS.
Additional reporting: Zack Whittaker
Via Sarah Perez https://techcrunch.com
0 notes
amberdscott2 · 7 years ago
Text
Why Is Your Location Data No Longer Private?
The past month has seen one blockbuster revelation after another about how our mobile phone and broadband providers have been leaking highly sensitive customer information, including real-time location data and customer account details. In the wake of these consumer privacy debacles, many are left wondering who’s responsible for policing these industries? How exactly did we get to this point? What prospects are there for changes to address this national privacy crisis at the legislative and regulatory levels? These are some of the questions we’ll explore in this article.
In 2015, the Federal Communications Commission under the Obama Administration reclassified broadband Internet companies as telecommunications providers, which gave the agency authority to regulate broadband providers the same way as telephone companies.
The FCC also came up with so-called “net neutrality” rules designed to prohibit Internet providers from blocking or slowing down traffic, or from offering “fast lane” access to companies willing to pay extra for certain content or for higher quality service.
In mid-2016, the FCC adopted new privacy rules for all Internet providers that would have required providers to seek opt-in permission from customers before collecting, storing, sharing and selling anything that might be considered sensitive — including Web browsing, application usage and location information, as well as financial and health data.
But the Obama administration’s new FCC privacy rules didn’t become final until December 2016, a month after then President-elect Trump was welcomed into office by a Republican controlled House and Senate.
Congress still had 90 legislative days (when lawmakers are physically in Congress) to pass a resolution killing the privacy regulations, and on March 23, 2017 the Senate voted 50-48 to repeal them. Approval of the repeal in the House passed quickly thereafter, and President Trump officially signed it on April 3, 2017.
In an op-ed published in The Washington Post, Ajit Pai — a former Verizon lawyer and President Trump’s pick to lead the FCC — said “despite hyperventilating headlines, Internet service providers have never planned to sell your individual browsing history to third parties.”
FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai.
“That’s simply not how online advertising works,” Pai wrote. “And doing so would violate ISPs’ privacy promises. Second, Congress’s decision last week didn’t remove existing privacy protections; it simply cleared the way for us to work together to reinstate a rational and effective system for protecting consumer privacy.”
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) came to a different conclusion, predicting that the repeal of the FCC privacy rules would allow broadband providers to collect and sell a “gold mine of data” about customers.
“Your mobile broadband provider knows how you move about your day through information about your geolocation and internet activity through your mobile device,” Nelson said. The Senate resolution “will take consumers out of this driver’s seat and place the collection and use of their information behind a veil of secrecy.”
Meanwhile, pressure was building on the now Republican-controlled FCC to repeal the previous administration’s net neutrality rules. The major ISPs and mobile providers claimed the new regulations put them at a disadvantage relative to competitors that were not regulated by the FCC, such as Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google.
On Dec. 14, 2017, FCC Chairman Pai joined two other Republic FCC commissioners in a 3-2 vote to dismantle the net neutrality regulations.
As The New York Times observed after the net neutrality repeal, “the commission’s chairman, Ajit Pai, vigorously defended the repeal before the vote. He said the rollback of the rules would eventually benefit consumers because broadband providers like AT&T and Comcast could offer them a wider variety of service options.”
“We are helping consumers and promoting competition,” Mr. Pai said. “Broadband providers will have more incentive to build networks, especially to underserved areas.”
MORE OR LESS CHOICE?
Some might argue we’ve seen reduced competition and more industry consolidation since the FCC repealed the rules. Major broadband and mobile provider AT&T and cable/entertainment giant Time Warner are now fighting the Justice Department in a bid to merge. Two of the four-largest mobile telecom and broadband providers — T-Mobile and Sprint — have announced plans for a $26 billion merger.
The FCC privacy rules from 2016 that were overturned by Congress sought to give consumers more choice about how their data was to be used, stored and shared. But consumers now have less “choice” than ever about how their mobile provider shares their data and with whom. Worse, the mobile and broadband providers themselves are failing to secure their own customers’ data.
This month, it emerged that the major mobile providers have been giving commercial third-parties the ability to instantly look up the precise location of any mobile subscriber in real time. KrebsOnSecurity broke the news that one of these third parties — LocationSmart — leaked this ability for years to anyone via a buggy component on its Web site.
LocationSmart’s demo page featured a buggy component which allowed anyone to look up anyone else’s mobile device location, in real time, and without consent.
We also learned that another California company — Securus Technologies — was selling real-time location lookups to a number of state and local law enforcement agencies, and that accounts for dozens of those law enforcement officers were obtained by hackers.  Securus, it turned out, was ultimately getting its data from LocationSmart.
This week, researchers discovered that a bug in T-Mobile’s Web site let anyone access the personal account details of any customer with just their cell phone number, including full name, address, account number and some cases tax ID numbers.
Not to be outdone, Comcast was revealed to have exposed sensitive information on customers through a buggy component of its Web site that could be tricked into displaying the home address where the company’s wireless router is located, as well as the router’s Wi-Fi name and password.
It’s not clear how FCC Chairman Pai intends to “reinstate a rational and effective system for protecting consumer privacy,” as he pledged after voting last year to overturn the 2015 privacy rules. The FCC reportedly has taken at least tentative steps to open an inquiry into the LocationSmart debacle, although Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has called on Chairman Pai to recuse himself on the inquiry because Pai once represented Securus as an attorney. (Wyden also had some choice words for the wireless companies).
The major wireless carriers all say they do not share customer location data without customer consent or in response to a court order or subpoena. Consent. All of these carriers pointed me to their privacy policies. It could be the carriers believe these policies clearly explain that simply by using their wireless device customers have opted-in to having their real-time location data sold or given to third-party companies.
Michelle De Mooy, director of the privacy and data project at the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT), said if the mobile giants are burying that disclosure in privacy policy legalese, that’s just not good enough.
“Even if they say, ‘Our privacy policy says we can do this,’ it violates peoples’ reasonable expectations of when and why their location data is being collected and how that’s going to be used. It’s not okay to simply point to your privacy policies and expect that to be enough.”
CHECKING THE FTC’S RECORD
When the FCC’s repeal of the net neutrality rules takes effect on June 11, 2018, broadband providers will once again be regulated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). That power was briefly shared with FCC when the agency under the Obama administration passed its net neutrality rules with the assumption that it could regulate broadband providers like telecommunications companies.
When it comes to investigating companies for privacy and security violations, the FTC’s primary weapon is The FTC Act, which “prohibits unfair and deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce.” According to the FTC Act, a “misrepresentation or omission is deceptive if it is material and is likely to mislead consumers acting reasonably under the circumstances.” It also finds that an act or practice “is unfair if it causes, or is likely to cause, substantial injury that is not reasonably avoidable by consumers, and not outweighed by countervailing benefits to consumers or competition.”
It’s difficult to think of a bigger violation of those principles than the current practice by the major mobile providers of sharing real-time location data on customers with third parties, without any opportunity for customers to opt-in or opt-out of such sharing.
But it’s unclear whether the FTC would take take any action against such activity, or indeed if it has any precedent to do so. The agency had the ability to go after mobile broadband providers for privacy and security violations between 2002 and 2015, and so KrebsOnSecurity asked the commission to share how many times during that period that it took enforcement actions against broadband providers.
The list I got back from them wasn’t exactly privacy or security focused. The FTC cited a case in 2003 in which it sued AOL and CompuServe over unfair billing practices. In 2009, it helped to take down 3FN, a small, shady ISP that was based in the United States but run by Russians and hosting a stupendous amount of malware, scams and illegal content (i.e. child pornography).
In 2014, the FTC alleged that AT&T Mobility deceptively advertised “unlimited” data while throttling mobile customers who used certain amounts of data (this case is still pending but a recent appeals court decision cleared the way for the FTC to continue its lawsuit).
In 2015, TracFone, the largest prepaid mobile provider in the United States, agreed to pay $40 million to the FTC for consumer refunds to settle charges that it deceived millions of consumers with regard to its “unlimited” data service.
The FTC also cited a scolding letter (PDF) that it sent to Verizon over issues related to the security of its customer routers. No action was taken by the FTC in that case.
How eager the FTC will be to police privacy practices of broadband providers may come down to the priorities of the agency’s new leaders. The Trump administration just tapped Andrew Smith as head of the FTC’s consumer protection office. Smith is a lawyer who used to represent many of the companies that the agency is already investigating.
Smith will need to recuse himself from multiple ongoing investigations his office would normally lead, including data breaches at Equifax and Facebook, thanks to his previous work on behalf of the companies. According to The Hill, Smith testified in October before the Senate Banking Committee on behalf of the credit reporting industry as the panel investigated an Equifax data breach that compromised more than 145 million people.
Gigi Sohn, a fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law and Policy and a former senior adviser to former FCC Chair Tom Wheeler in 2015, said the FTC doesn’t have a strong record on broadband privacy enforcement.
Sohn said the FTC’s legal framework does not require affirmative opt-in consent for browsing history and app usage, and that a provider would only have to let you opt-out — something that consumers rarely do and which companies routinely make it hard to do. More importantly, she said, while the FCC’s rules would have protected consumers before they were harmed, the FTC can only act after harm has already occurred.
“We passed privacy rules for broadband and mobile providers that would have required them to seek customer opt-in for anything that was considered sensitive,” Sohn said of her work at the FCC under the Obama administration. “The carrier had to give you clear and consistent opportunities to opt out. It was very broad, but the definition we set for personal information was far broader than what even the FTC considered sensitive.”
REPEALING THE REPEAL OF NET NEUTRALITY
So the carriers are already reneging on their promise to customers that they won’t share location data without customer consent or a court order. But where does that leave us on net neutrality? The answer is that the major wireless carriers are already doing what was expressly prohibited under the FCC’s net neutrality rules: Favoring their own content over competitors, and letting companies gain more favorable access by paying more.
Around the time of the FCC’s repeal of the net neutrality rules last year, The Wall Street Journal prognosticated about what might happen with the regulations out of the way. To do this, it looked at some of the offerings the mobile carriers pitched before the rules were drawn up.
“One example of how things could work is the mobile wireless market, where some providers already have used pricing tactics to favor certain websites and services over others,” wrote John D. McKinnon and Ryan Knutson for The Journal:
The 2015 Obama-era rules didn’t explicitly prohibit these tactics, which generally allow customers to access certain websites without having it count against their monthly data cap. Wireless carriers, which often subject their users to strict data limits, were aggressive in experimenting with such plans, also known as “zero rating.”
Deals began emerging several years ago for inexpensive plans that offer unlimited high-speed access to popular services such as Facebook or Twitter, but limited or even restricted access to the rest of the internet.
T-Mobile US Inc. in late 2013 announced that its GoSmart Mobile brand had “become the first wireless provider…to offer free access to Facebook and Facebook Messenger for all of its wireless customers, even those without monthly data service.” The GoSmart Mobile plans started at $25 a month for “unlimited talk” with no other data service. T-Mobile has since transferred the GoSmart brand to another wireless firm.
In 2014, Virgin Mobile USA, a unit of Sprint Corp. , offered a wireless plan that cost $12, but users were only allowed to access one website: either Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest. If they wanted all four, it was $10 more a month. Another $5 and they could access any online music streaming service.
Big internet providers also used zero-rating plans to favor their own content. AT&T Inc. gave paying customers unlimited usage of its own online video service DirecTV Now, while other video sites counted against monthly data caps. Verizon Communications Inc. did the same for its mobile video app, called go90.”
AT&T Mobility offers a zero-rating plan called “Sponsored Data” that allows content providers to pay up front to have streaming of that content allowed without counting against the provider’s monthly data caps.
Sohn said the FCC under the Obama administration initiated an investigation into AT&T’s Sponsored Data plan and Verizon for its go90 service, but that the inquiry was abandoned by the current FCC leadership.
There are some prospects for a Congressional repeal of this administration’s gutting of the FCC’s net neutrality rules. On May 16, the Senate approved a resolution nullifying the FCC’s rollback of the net neutrality rules. But the measure faces an uphill battle in the House.
“Right now we’re probably 30 to 40 members short of being able to bring a vote in the House,” Sohn said. “About 20 Democrats haven’t gotten on board, and we have no Republicans so far. But I think that’s going to change. If Congress repeals the net neutrality repeal, the next step would be to craft stronger rules [either at the FCC or Congress]. We have until the end of this Congress to get it done.”
The CDT’s De Mooy gives the effort to repeal the repeal of net neutrality rules slim chances of passage this year. But she said the prospects for revisiting net neutrality and consumer privacy in the next Congress look good, particularly if Democrats pick up additional seats in the House.
“It seems to be something the Democrats are taking up more now,” Demooy said. “So much depends on what happens in November. But that’s true of so many tech policy issues.”
SHOCK AND YAWN
When I first saw a Carnegie Mellon University researcher show me last week that he could look up the near-exact location of any mobile number in the United States, I sincerely believed the public would be amazed and horrified at the idea that mobile providers are sharing this real-time data with third party companies, and at the fact that those third parties in turn weren’t doing anything to prevent the abuse of their own systems.
Instead, after a brief round of coverage in several publications, the story fell out of the news cycle. A story this week in Slate.com lamented how little coverage the mainstream press has given to the LocationSmart scandal, and marvels at how much more shocked people were over the Cambridge Analytic scandal with Facebook.
“Privacy abuses and slip-ups by major tech companies have become so numerous, and the prospect of containing them seems so hopeless, that the public and much of the media have become nearly numb to them,” writes Will Oremus for Slate. “My data was hacked? So it goes. It may have been used in unauthorized ways by unspecified parties? C’est la vie.”
Oremus argues that what the LocationSmart scandal lacks is not import, nor the potential for serious harm, “but a link to some divisive political issue or societal outrage sufficient enough to generate visceral anger from people who aren’t privacy wonks.”
If you’ve read this far (bless you), don’t let breach fatigue and incessant media exposure of how little privacy we have harden into resignation. Yes, the prospects of any public debate about consumer privacy protections in the United States at the legislative level seem dim in a high-stakes mid-term election year. But supporters of net neutrality ideals can start getting involved by tweeting, calling and emailing the House lawmakers listed in red at BattleForTheNet.com.
While you’re at it, tell your lawmakers what you think about mobile providers giving or selling third-parties real-time access to customer location information, and let them know that this is no longer okay.
This is the second article in a two-part series. The first is here: Mobile Giants, Please Don’t Share the Where.
from Amber Scott Technology News https://krebsonsecurity.com/2018/05/why-is-your-location-data-no-longer-private/
0 notes
jennifersnyderca90 · 7 years ago
Text
Why Is Your Location Data No Longer Private?
The past month has seen one blockbuster revelation after another about how our mobile phone and broadband providers have been leaking highly sensitive customer information, including real-time location data and customer account details. In the wake of these consumer privacy debacles, many are left wondering who’s responsible for policing these industries? How exactly did we get to this point? What prospects are there for changes to address this national privacy crisis at the legislative and regulatory levels? These are some of the questions we’ll explore in this article.
In 2015, the Federal Communications Commission under the Obama Administration reclassified broadband Internet companies as telecommunications providers, which gave the agency authority to regulate broadband providers the same way as telephone companies.
The FCC also came up with so-called “net neutrality” rules designed to prohibit Internet providers from blocking or slowing down traffic, or from offering “fast lane” access to companies willing to pay extra for certain content or for higher quality service.
In mid-2016, the FCC adopted new privacy rules for all Internet providers that would have required providers to seek opt-in permission from customers before collecting, storing, sharing and selling anything that might be considered sensitive — including Web browsing, application usage and location information, as well as financial and health data.
But the Obama administration’s new FCC privacy rules didn’t become final until December 2016, a month after then President-elect Trump was welcomed into office by a Republican controlled House and Senate.
Congress still had 90 legislative days (when lawmakers are physically in Congress) to pass a resolution killing the privacy regulations, and on March 23, 2017 the Senate voted 50-48 to repeal them. Approval of the repeal in the House passed quickly thereafter, and President Trump officially signed it on April 3, 2017.
In an op-ed published in The Washington Post, Ajit Pai — a former Verizon lawyer and President Trump’s pick to lead the FCC — said “despite hyperventilating headlines, Internet service providers have never planned to sell your individual browsing history to third parties.”
FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai.
“That’s simply not how online advertising works,” Pai wrote. “And doing so would violate ISPs’ privacy promises. Second, Congress’s decision last week didn’t remove existing privacy protections; it simply cleared the way for us to work together to reinstate a rational and effective system for protecting consumer privacy.”
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) came to a different conclusion, predicting that the repeal of the FCC privacy rules would allow broadband providers to collect and sell a “gold mine of data” about customers.
“Your mobile broadband provider knows how you move about your day through information about your geolocation and internet activity through your mobile device,” Nelson said. The Senate resolution “will take consumers out of this driver’s seat and place the collection and use of their information behind a veil of secrecy.”
Meanwhile, pressure was building on the now Republican-controlled FCC to repeal the previous administration’s net neutrality rules. The major ISPs and mobile providers claimed the new regulations put them at a disadvantage relative to competitors that were not regulated by the FCC, such as Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google.
On Dec. 14, 2017, FCC Chairman Pai joined two other Republic FCC commissioners in a 3-2 vote to dismantle the net neutrality regulations.
As The New York Times observed after the net neutrality repeal, “the commission’s chairman, Ajit Pai, vigorously defended the repeal before the vote. He said the rollback of the rules would eventually benefit consumers because broadband providers like AT&T and Comcast could offer them a wider variety of service options.”
“We are helping consumers and promoting competition,” Mr. Pai said. “Broadband providers will have more incentive to build networks, especially to underserved areas.”
MORE OR LESS CHOICE?
Some might argue we’ve seen reduced competition and more industry consolidation since the FCC repealed the rules. Major broadband and mobile provider AT&T and cable/entertainment giant Time Warner are now fighting the Justice Department in a bid to merge. Two of the four-largest mobile telecom and broadband providers — T-Mobile and Sprint — have announced plans for a $26 billion merger.
The FCC privacy rules from 2016 that were overturned by Congress sought to give consumers more choice about how their data was to be used, stored and shared. But consumers now have less “choice” than ever about how their mobile provider shares their data and with whom. Worse, the mobile and broadband providers themselves are failing to secure their own customers’ data.
This month, it emerged that the major mobile providers have been giving commercial third-parties the ability to instantly look up the precise location of any mobile subscriber in real time. KrebsOnSecurity broke the news that one of these third parties — LocationSmart — leaked this ability for years to anyone via a buggy component on its Web site.
LocationSmart’s demo page featured a buggy component which allowed anyone to look up anyone else’s mobile device location, in real time, and without consent.
We also learned that another California company — Securus Technologies — was selling real-time location lookups to a number of state and local law enforcement agencies, and that accounts for dozens of those law enforcement officers were obtained by hackers.  Securus, it turned out, was ultimately getting its data from LocationSmart.
This week, researchers discovered that a bug in T-Mobile’s Web site let anyone access the personal account details of any customer with just their cell phone number, including full name, address, account number and some cases tax ID numbers.
Not to be outdone, Comcast was revealed to have exposed sensitive information on customers through a buggy component of its Web site that could be tricked into displaying the home address where the company’s wireless router is located, as well as the router’s Wi-Fi name and password.
It’s not clear how FCC Chairman Pai intends to “reinstate a rational and effective system for protecting consumer privacy,” as he pledged after voting last year to overturn the 2015 privacy rules. The FCC reportedly has taken at least tentative steps to open an inquiry into the LocationSmart debacle, although Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has called on Chairman Pai to recuse himself on the inquiry because Pai once represented Securus as an attorney. (Wyden also had some choice words for the wireless companies).
The major wireless carriers all say they do not share customer location data without customer consent or in response to a court order or subpoena. Consent. All of these carriers pointed me to their privacy policies. It could be the carriers believe these policies clearly explain that simply by using their wireless device customers have opted-in to having their real-time location data sold or given to third-party companies.
Michelle De Mooy, director of the privacy and data project at the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT), said if the mobile giants are burying that disclosure in privacy policy legalese, that’s just not good enough.
“Even if they say, ‘Our privacy policy says we can do this,’ it violates peoples’ reasonable expectations of when and why their location data is being collected and how that’s going to be used. It’s not okay to simply point to your privacy policies and expect that to be enough.”
CHECKING THE FTC’S RECORD
When the FCC’s repeal of the net neutrality rules takes effect on June 11, 2018, broadband providers will once again be regulated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). That power was briefly shared with FCC when the agency under the Obama administration passed its net neutrality rules with the assumption that it could regulate broadband providers like telecommunications companies.
When it comes to investigating companies for privacy and security violations, the FTC’s primary weapon is The FTC Act, which “prohibits unfair and deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce.” According to the FTC Act, a “misrepresentation or omission is deceptive if it is material and is likely to mislead consumers acting reasonably under the circumstances.” It also finds that an act or practice “is unfair if it causes, or is likely to cause, substantial injury that is not reasonably avoidable by consumers, and not outweighed by countervailing benefits to consumers or competition.”
It’s difficult to think of a bigger violation of those principles than the current practice by the major mobile providers of sharing real-time location data on customers with third parties, without any opportunity for customers to opt-in or opt-out of such sharing.
But it’s unclear whether the FTC would take take any action against such activity, or indeed if it has any precedent to do so. The agency had the ability to go after mobile broadband providers for privacy and security violations between 2002 and 2015, and so KrebsOnSecurity asked the commission to share how many times during that period that it took enforcement actions against broadband providers.
The list I got back from them wasn’t exactly privacy or security focused. The FTC cited a case in 2003 in which it sued AOL and CompuServe over unfair billing practices. In 2009, it helped to take down 3FN, a small, shady ISP that was based in the United States but run by Russians and hosting a stupendous amount of malware, scams and illegal content (i.e. child pornography).
In 2014, the FTC alleged that AT&T Mobility deceptively advertised “unlimited” data while throttling mobile customers who used certain amounts of data (this case is still pending but a recent appeals court decision cleared the way for the FTC to continue its lawsuit).
In 2015, TracFone, the largest prepaid mobile provider in the United States, agreed to pay $40 million to the FTC for consumer refunds to settle charges that it deceived millions of consumers with regard to its “unlimited” data service.
The FTC also cited a scolding letter (PDF) that it sent to Verizon over issues related to the security of its customer routers. No action was taken by the FTC in that case.
How eager the FTC will be to police privacy practices of broadband providers may come down to the priorities of the agency’s new leaders. The Trump administration just tapped Andrew Smith as head of the FTC’s consumer protection office. Smith is a lawyer who used to represent many of the companies that the agency is already investigating.
Smith will need to recuse himself from multiple ongoing investigations his office would normally lead, including data breaches at Equifax and Facebook, thanks to his previous work on behalf of the companies. According to The Hill, Smith testified in October before the Senate Banking Committee on behalf of the credit reporting industry as the panel investigated an Equifax data breach that compromised more than 145 million people.
Gigi Sohn, a fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law and Policy and a former senior adviser to former FCC Chair Tom Wheeler in 2015, said the FTC doesn’t have a strong record on broadband privacy enforcement.
Sohn said the FTC’s legal framework does not require affirmative opt-in consent for browsing history and app usage, and that a provider would only have to let you opt-out — something that consumers rarely do and which companies routinely make it hard to do. More importantly, she said, while the FCC’s rules would have protected consumers before they were harmed, the FTC can only act after harm has already occurred.
“We passed privacy rules for broadband and mobile providers that would have required them to seek customer opt-in for anything that was considered sensitive,” Sohn said of her work at the FCC under the Obama administration. “The carrier had to give you clear and consistent opportunities to opt out. It was very broad, but the definition we set for personal information was far broader than what even the FTC considered sensitive.”
REPEALING THE REPEAL OF NET NEUTRALITY
So the carriers are already reneging on their promise to customers that they won’t share location data without customer consent or a court order. But where does that leave us on net neutrality? The answer is that the major wireless carriers are already doing what was expressly prohibited under the FCC’s net neutrality rules: Favoring their own content over competitors, and letting companies gain more favorable access by paying more.
Around the time of the FCC’s repeal of the net neutrality rules last year, The Wall Street Journal prognosticated about what might happen with the regulations out of the way. To do this, it looked at some of the offerings the mobile carriers pitched before the rules were drawn up.
“One example of how things could work is the mobile wireless market, where some providers already have used pricing tactics to favor certain websites and services over others,” wrote John D. McKinnon and Ryan Knutson for The Journal:
The 2015 Obama-era rules didn’t explicitly prohibit these tactics, which generally allow customers to access certain websites without having it count against their monthly data cap. Wireless carriers, which often subject their users to strict data limits, were aggressive in experimenting with such plans, also known as “zero rating.”
Deals began emerging several years ago for inexpensive plans that offer unlimited high-speed access to popular services such as Facebook or Twitter, but limited or even restricted access to the rest of the internet.
T-Mobile US Inc. in late 2013 announced that its GoSmart Mobile brand had “become the first wireless provider…to offer free access to Facebook and Facebook Messenger for all of its wireless customers, even those without monthly data service.” The GoSmart Mobile plans started at $25 a month for “unlimited talk” with no other data service. T-Mobile has since transferred the GoSmart brand to another wireless firm.
In 2014, Virgin Mobile USA, a unit of Sprint Corp. , offered a wireless plan that cost $12, but users were only allowed to access one website: either Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest. If they wanted all four, it was $10 more a month. Another $5 and they could access any online music streaming service.
Big internet providers also used zero-rating plans to favor their own content. AT&T Inc. gave paying customers unlimited usage of its own online video service DirecTV Now, while other video sites counted against monthly data caps. Verizon Communications Inc. did the same for its mobile video app, called go90.”
AT&T Mobility offers a zero-rating plan called “Sponsored Data” that allows content providers to pay up front to have streaming of that content allowed without counting against the provider’s monthly data caps.
Sohn said the FCC under the Obama administration initiated an investigation into AT&T’s Sponsored Data plan and Verizon for its go90 service, but that the inquiry was abandoned by the current FCC leadership.
There are some prospects for a Congressional repeal of this administration’s gutting of the FCC’s net neutrality rules. On May 16, the Senate approved a resolution nullifying the FCC’s rollback of the net neutrality rules. But the measure faces an uphill battle in the House.
“Right now we’re probably 30 to 40 members short of being able to bring a vote in the House,” Sohn said. “About 20 Democrats haven’t gotten on board, and we have no Republicans so far. But I think that’s going to change. If Congress repeals the net neutrality repeal, the next step would be to craft stronger rules [either at the FCC or Congress]. We have until the end of this Congress to get it done.”
The CDT’s De Mooy gives the effort to repeal the repeal of net neutrality rules slim chances of passage this year. But she said the prospects for revisiting net neutrality and consumer privacy in the next Congress look good, particularly if Democrats pick up additional seats in the House.
“It seems to be something the Democrats are taking up more now,” Demooy said. “So much depends on what happens in November. But that’s true of so many tech policy issues.”
SHOCK AND YAWN
When I first saw a Carnegie Mellon University researcher show me last week that he could look up the near-exact location of any mobile number in the United States, I sincerely believed the public would be amazed and horrified at the idea that mobile providers are sharing this real-time data with third party companies, and at the fact that those third parties in turn weren’t doing anything to prevent the abuse of their own systems.
Instead, after a brief round of coverage in several publications, the story fell out of the news cycle. A story this week in Slate.com lamented how little coverage the mainstream press has given to the LocationSmart scandal, and marvels at how much more shocked people were over the Cambridge Analytic scandal with Facebook.
“Privacy abuses and slip-ups by major tech companies have become so numerous, and the prospect of containing them seems so hopeless, that the public and much of the media have become nearly numb to them,” writes Will Oremus for Slate. “My data was hacked? So it goes. It may have been used in unauthorized ways by unspecified parties? C’est la vie.”
Oremus argues that what the LocationSmart scandal lacks is not import, nor the potential for serious harm, “but a link to some divisive political issue or societal outrage sufficient enough to generate visceral anger from people who aren’t privacy wonks.”
If you’ve read this far (bless you), don’t let breach fatigue and incessant media exposure of how little privacy we have harden into resignation. Yes, the prospects of any public debate about consumer privacy protections in the United States at the legislative level seem dim in a high-stakes mid-term election year. But supporters of net neutrality ideals can start getting involved by tweeting, calling and emailing the House lawmakers listed in red at BattleForTheNet.com.
While you’re at it, tell your lawmakers what you think about mobile providers giving or selling third-parties real-time access to customer location information, and let them know that this is no longer okay.
This is the second article in a two-part series. The first is here: Mobile Giants, Please Don’t Share the Where.
from https://krebsonsecurity.com/2018/05/why-is-your-location-data-no-longer-private/
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nedsvallesny · 7 years ago
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Why Is Your Location Data No Longer Private?
The past month has seen one blockbuster revelation after another about how our mobile phone and broadband providers have been leaking highly sensitive customer information, including real-time location data and customer account details. In the wake of these consumer privacy debacles, many are left wondering who’s responsible for policing these industries? How exactly did we get to this point? What prospects are there for changes to address this national privacy crisis at the legislative and regulatory levels? These are some of the questions we’ll explore in this article.
In 2015, the Federal Communications Commission under the Obama Administration reclassified broadband Internet companies as telecommunications providers, which gave the agency authority to regulate broadband providers the same way as telephone companies.
The FCC also came up with so-called “net neutrality” rules designed to prohibit Internet providers from blocking or slowing down traffic, or from offering “fast lane” access to companies willing to pay extra for certain content or for higher quality service.
In mid-2016, the FCC adopted new privacy rules for all Internet providers that would have required providers to seek opt-in permission from customers before collecting, storing, sharing and selling anything that might be considered sensitive — including Web browsing, application usage and location information, as well as financial and health data.
But the Obama administration’s new FCC privacy rules didn’t become final until December 2016, a month after then President-elect Trump was welcomed into office by a Republican controlled House and Senate.
Congress still had 90 legislative days (when lawmakers are physically in Congress) to pass a resolution killing the privacy regulations, and on March 23, 2017 the Senate voted 50-48 to repeal them. Approval of the repeal in the House passed quickly thereafter, and President Trump officially signed it on April 3, 2017.
In an op-ed published in The Washington Post, Ajit Pai — a former Verizon lawyer and President Trump’s pick to lead the FCC — said “despite hyperventilating headlines, Internet service providers have never planned to sell your individual browsing history to third parties.”
FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai.
“That’s simply not how online advertising works,” Pai wrote. “And doing so would violate ISPs’ privacy promises. Second, Congress’s decision last week didn’t remove existing privacy protections; it simply cleared the way for us to work together to reinstate a rational and effective system for protecting consumer privacy.”
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) came to a different conclusion, predicting that the repeal of the FCC privacy rules would allow broadband providers to collect and sell a “gold mine of data” about customers.
“Your mobile broadband provider knows how you move about your day through information about your geolocation and internet activity through your mobile device,” Nelson said. The Senate resolution “will take consumers out of this driver’s seat and place the collection and use of their information behind a veil of secrecy.”
Meanwhile, pressure was building on the now Republican-controlled FCC to repeal the previous administration’s net neutrality rules. The major ISPs and mobile providers claimed the new regulations put them at a disadvantage relative to competitors that were not regulated by the FCC, such as Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google.
On Dec. 14, 2017, FCC Chairman Pai joined two other Republic FCC commissioners in a 3-2 vote to dismantle the net neutrality regulations.
As The New York Times observed after the net neutrality repeal, “the commission’s chairman, Ajit Pai, vigorously defended the repeal before the vote. He said the rollback of the rules would eventually benefit consumers because broadband providers like AT&T and Comcast could offer them a wider variety of service options.”
“We are helping consumers and promoting competition,” Mr. Pai said. “Broadband providers will have more incentive to build networks, especially to underserved areas.”
MORE OR LESS CHOICE?
Some might argue we’ve seen reduced competition and more industry consolidation since the FCC repealed the rules. Major broadband and mobile provider AT&T and cable/entertainment giant Time Warner are now fighting the Justice Department in a bid to merge. Two of the four-largest mobile telecom and broadband providers — T-Mobile and Sprint — have announced plans for a $26 billion merger.
The FCC privacy rules from 2016 that were overturned by Congress sought to give consumers more choice about how their data was to be used, stored and shared. But consumers now have less “choice” than ever about how their mobile provider shares their data and with whom. Worse, the mobile and broadband providers themselves are failing to secure their own customers’ data.
This month, it emerged that the major mobile providers have been giving commercial third-parties the ability to instantly look up the precise location of any mobile subscriber in real time. KrebsOnSecurity broke the news that one of these third parties — LocationSmart — leaked this ability for years to anyone via a buggy component on its Web site.
LocationSmart’s demo page featured a buggy component which allowed anyone to look up anyone else’s mobile device location, in real time, and without consent.
We also learned that another California company — Securus Technologies — was selling real-time location lookups to a number of state and local law enforcement agencies, and that accounts for dozens of those law enforcement officers were obtained by hackers.  Securus, it turned out, was ultimately getting its data from LocationSmart.
This week, researchers discovered that a bug in T-Mobile’s Web site let anyone access the personal account details of any customer with just their cell phone number, including full name, address, account number and some cases tax ID numbers.
Not to be outdone, Comcast was revealed to have exposed sensitive information on customers through a buggy component of its Web site that could be tricked into displaying the home address where the company’s wireless router is located, as well as the router’s Wi-Fi name and password.
It’s not clear how FCC Chairman Pai intends to “reinstate a rational and effective system for protecting consumer privacy,” as he pledged after voting last year to overturn the 2015 privacy rules. The FCC reportedly has taken at least tentative steps to open an inquiry into the LocationSmart debacle, although Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has called on Chairman Pai to recuse himself on the inquiry because Pai once represented Securus as an attorney. (Wyden also had some choice words for the wireless companies).
The major wireless carriers all say they do not share customer location data without customer consent or in response to a court order or subpoena. Consent. All of these carriers pointed me to their privacy policies. It could be the carriers believe these policies clearly explain that simply by using their wireless device customers have opted-in to having their real-time location data sold or given to third-party companies.
Michelle De Mooy, director of the privacy and data project at the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT), said if the mobile giants are burying that disclosure in privacy policy legalese, that’s just not good enough.
“Even if they say, ‘Our privacy policy says we can do this,’ it violates peoples’ reasonable expectations of when and why their location data is being collected and how that’s going to be used. It’s not okay to simply point to your privacy policies and expect that to be enough.”
CHECKING THE FTC’S RECORD
When the FCC’s repeal of the net neutrality rules takes effect on June 11, 2018, broadband providers will once again be regulated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). That power was briefly shared with FCC when the agency under the Obama administration passed its net neutrality rules with the assumption that it could regulate broadband providers like telecommunications companies.
When it comes to investigating companies for privacy and security violations, the FTC’s primary weapon is The FTC Act, which “prohibits unfair and deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce.” According to the FTC Act, a “misrepresentation or omission is deceptive if it is material and is likely to mislead consumers acting reasonably under the circumstances.” It also finds that an act or practice “is unfair if it causes, or is likely to cause, substantial injury that is not reasonably avoidable by consumers, and not outweighed by countervailing benefits to consumers or competition.”
It’s difficult to think of a bigger violation of those principles than the current practice by the major mobile providers of sharing real-time location data on customers with third parties, without any opportunity for customers to opt-in or opt-out of such sharing.
But it’s unclear whether the FTC would take take any action against such activity, or indeed if it has any precedent to do so. The agency had the ability to go after mobile broadband providers for privacy and security violations between 2002 and 2015, and so KrebsOnSecurity asked the commission to share how many times during that period that it took enforcement actions against broadband providers.
The list I got back from them wasn’t exactly privacy or security focused. The FTC cited a case in 2003 in which it sued AOL and CompuServe over unfair billing practices. In 2009, it helped to take down 3FN, a small, shady ISP that was based in the United States but run by Russians and hosting a stupendous amount of malware, scams and illegal content (i.e. child pornography).
In 2014, the FTC alleged that AT&T Mobility deceptively advertised “unlimited” data while throttling mobile customers who used certain amounts of data (this case is still pending but a recent appeals court decision cleared the way for the FTC to continue its lawsuit).
In 2015, TracFone, the largest prepaid mobile provider in the United States, agreed to pay $40 million to the FTC for consumer refunds to settle charges that it deceived millions of consumers with regard to its “unlimited” data service.
The FTC also cited a scolding letter (PDF) that it sent to Verizon over issues related to the security of its customer routers. No action was taken by the FTC in that case.
How eager the FTC will be to police privacy practices of broadband providers may come down to the priorities of the agency’s new leaders. The Trump administration just tapped Andrew Smith as head of the FTC’s consumer protection office. Smith is a lawyer who used to represent many of the companies that the agency is already investigating.
Smith will need to recuse himself from multiple ongoing investigations his office would normally lead, including data breaches at Equifax and Facebook, thanks to his previous work on behalf of the companies. According to The Hill, Smith testified in October before the Senate Banking Committee on behalf of the credit reporting industry as the panel investigated an Equifax data breach that compromised more than 145 million people.
Gigi Sohn, a fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law and Policy and a former senior adviser to former FCC Chair Tom Wheeler in 2015, said the FTC doesn’t have a strong record on broadband privacy enforcement.
Sohn said the FTC’s legal framework does not require affirmative opt-in consent for browsing history and app usage, and that a provider would only have to let you opt-out — something that consumers rarely do and which companies routinely make it hard to do. More importantly, she said, while the FCC’s rules would have protected consumers before they were harmed, the FTC can only act after harm has already occurred.
“We passed privacy rules for broadband and mobile providers that would have required them to seek customer opt-in for anything that was considered sensitive,” Sohn said of her work at the FCC under the Obama administration. “The carrier had to give you clear and consistent opportunities to opt out. It was very broad, but the definition we set for personal information was far broader than what even the FTC considered sensitive.”
REPEALING THE REPEAL OF NET NEUTRALITY
So the carriers are already reneging on their promise to customers that they won’t share location data without customer consent or a court order. But where does that leave us on net neutrality? The answer is that the major wireless carriers are already doing what was expressly prohibited under the FCC’s net neutrality rules: Favoring their own content over competitors, and letting companies gain more favorable access by paying more.
Around the time of the FCC’s repeal of the net neutrality rules last year, The Wall Street Journal prognosticated about what might happen with the regulations out of the way. To do this, it looked at some of the offerings the mobile carriers pitched before the rules were drawn up.
“One example of how things could work is the mobile wireless market, where some providers already have used pricing tactics to favor certain websites and services over others,” wrote John D. McKinnon and Ryan Knutson for The Journal:
The 2015 Obama-era rules didn’t explicitly prohibit these tactics, which generally allow customers to access certain websites without having it count against their monthly data cap. Wireless carriers, which often subject their users to strict data limits, were aggressive in experimenting with such plans, also known as “zero rating.”
Deals began emerging several years ago for inexpensive plans that offer unlimited high-speed access to popular services such as Facebook or Twitter, but limited or even restricted access to the rest of the internet.
T-Mobile US Inc. in late 2013 announced that its GoSmart Mobile brand had “become the first wireless provider…to offer free access to Facebook and Facebook Messenger for all of its wireless customers, even those without monthly data service.” The GoSmart Mobile plans started at $25 a month for “unlimited talk” with no other data service. T-Mobile has since transferred the GoSmart brand to another wireless firm.
In 2014, Virgin Mobile USA, a unit of Sprint Corp. , offered a wireless plan that cost $12, but users were only allowed to access one website: either Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest. If they wanted all four, it was $10 more a month. Another $5 and they could access any online music streaming service.
Big internet providers also used zero-rating plans to favor their own content. AT&T Inc. gave paying customers unlimited usage of its own online video service DirecTV Now, while other video sites counted against monthly data caps. Verizon Communications Inc. did the same for its mobile video app, called go90.”
AT&T Mobility offers a zero-rating plan called “Sponsored Data” that allows content providers to pay up front to have streaming of that content allowed without counting against the provider’s monthly data caps.
Sohn said the FCC under the Obama administration initiated an investigation into AT&T’s Sponsored Data plan and Verizon for its go90 service, but that the inquiry was abandoned by the current FCC leadership.
There are some prospects for a Congressional repeal of this administration’s gutting of the FCC’s net neutrality rules. On May 16, the Senate approved a resolution nullifying the FCC’s rollback of the net neutrality rules. But the measure faces an uphill battle in the House.
“Right now we’re probably 30 to 40 members short of being able to bring a vote in the House,” Sohn said. “About 20 Democrats haven’t gotten on board, and we have no Republicans so far. But I think that’s going to change. If Congress repeals the net neutrality repeal, the next step would be to craft stronger rules [either at the FCC or Congress]. We have until the end of this Congress to get it done.”
The CDT’s De Mooy gives the effort to repeal the repeal of net neutrality rules slim chances of passage this year. But she said the prospects for revisiting net neutrality and consumer privacy in the next Congress look good, particularly if Democrats pick up additional seats in the House.
“It seems to be something the Democrats are taking up more now,” Demooy said. “So much depends on what happens in November. But that’s true of so many tech policy issues.”
SHOCK AND YAWN
When I first saw a Carnegie Mellon University researcher show me last week that he could look up the near-exact location of any mobile number in the United States, I sincerely believed the public would be amazed and horrified at the idea that mobile providers are sharing this real-time data with third party companies, and at the fact that those third parties in turn weren’t doing anything to prevent the abuse of their own systems.
Instead, after a brief round of coverage in several publications, the story fell out of the news cycle. A story this week in Slate.com lamented how little coverage the mainstream press has given to the LocationSmart scandal, and marvels at how much more shocked people were over the Cambridge Analytic scandal with Facebook.
“Privacy abuses and slip-ups by major tech companies have become so numerous, and the prospect of containing them seems so hopeless, that the public and much of the media have become nearly numb to them,” writes Will Oremus for Slate. “My data was hacked? So it goes. It may have been used in unauthorized ways by unspecified parties? C’est la vie.”
Oremus argues that what the LocationSmart scandal lacks is not import, nor the potential for serious harm, “but a link to some divisive political issue or societal outrage sufficient enough to generate visceral anger from people who aren’t privacy wonks.”
If you’ve read this far (bless you), don’t let breach fatigue and incessant media exposure of how little privacy we have harden into resignation. Yes, the prospects of any public debate about consumer privacy protections in the United States at the legislative level seem dim in a high-stakes mid-term election year. But supporters of net neutrality ideals can start getting involved by tweeting, calling and emailing the House lawmakers listed in red at BattleForTheNet.com.
While you’re at it, tell your lawmakers what you think about mobile providers giving or selling third-parties real-time access to customer location information, and let them know that this is no longer okay.
This is the second article in a two-part series. The first is here: Mobile Giants, Please Don’t Share the Where.
from Technology News https://krebsonsecurity.com/2018/05/why-is-your-location-data-no-longer-private/
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5 New Year’s Resolutions to Protect Your Technology
If 2017 taught you anything about personal technology, it’s that the onus is on you to protect your personal data and devices.
Tech companies aren’t going to do that for you. (In fact, they are generally the ones failing you.) So why not make protecting yourself your New Year’s resolution?
Last year, I recommended some resolutions for making your tech less frustrating, like doing regular maintenance on your devices, being a strategic shopper and purging the e-waste sitting around your home.
But this year’s cybersecurity nightmares, from the ransomware attack to the Equifax hack, underscored the need to protect yourself. Here are some recommendations for living a safer digital life this new year.
Update Your Software
CreditIllustration by Minh Uong/The New York Times
One of the most damaging cyberattacks this year involved ransomware, a form of malicious software that locks up people’s data and threatens to destroy it if a ransom is not paid. In May, the ransomware known as WannaCry affected more than 200,000 Windows computers in 150 countries. Security experts believe the malware spread through machines by getting people to download it via email.
Here’s the kicker: Microsoft had already released a security update that would have prevented the WannaCry malware from infecting machines. But the hacked computers were behind on downloading the updates. The cybercriminals generally targeted hospitals, academic institutions, blue-chip companies and businesses like movie theater chains. But this episode was an important reminder that keeping your software up to date is crucial.
This rule of thumb applies to anything that touches your information security: operating systems, antivirus software, your internet router, your password management app and your web browsers. Keep these important components up to date with the latest security enhancements, and you will be better off than most.
Read Privacy Policies
CreditIllustration by Minh Uong/The New York Times
Amid Uber’s laundry list of scandals, which included sexual harassment accusations and an undisclosed security breach, there was an important revelation that everyone can learn from. It involved Unroll.me, a free service that unsubscribes you from junk mail.
To gather intelligence about its competition, Uber bought information about its main rival, Lyft, from Unroll.me. How did Uber do that, exactly? Unroll.me scanned the contents of its users’ inboxes and sold anonymized data, information that did not have individuals’ names attached to it — in this case, emailed Lyft receipts — to Uber.
Many were shocked to learn about Unroll.me’s business model. But the truth was always there in the fine print: the company’s privacy policy clearly stated that “we may collect, use, transfer, sell and disclose non-personal information for any purpose” and that data can be used “to build anonymous market research products and services.” Still, people were understandably outraged by the misleading nature of Unroll.me. A company that promised to rid you of spam mail scanned your inbox and sold information about you to other companies, including marketers.
So make it a habit to read a company’s privacy policy. As boring as it sounds, a bit of reading will go a long way. I recently considered using a free internet service for sending a fax, and upon reading the privacy policy I learned that the company collects sensitive information like Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers. (I went out and found a traditional fax machine instead.)
Delete Unnecessary Apps
CreditIllustration by Minh Uong/The New York Times
The Unroll.me episode also raised awareness of the sheer number of third-party apps that may be leeching off your personal information. There are probably apps and web services you don’t remember downloading or subscribing to, and they could still have access to your data.
At least once a year, it’s worthwhile to do an audit on your third-party apps. On your smartphone, delete apps that you have not touched in several months. For a clean break, in some cases you will also have to visit the company’s website and request that your account be deleted entirely.
Also check your primary online accounts, like Facebook, Twitter or Google, to see which apps are hooked into them. Chances are you have used those accounts to quickly sign up for a web tool or app. The ones you never use may still be leeching off your personal data, so you should disable them.
On Facebook, go to the settings page and click on the Apps tab to see which apps are connected to the account. On your Google account page, you can find a similar apps list labeled “Connected apps & sites.” And on Twitter, go to the Apps page under “Settings and privacy.”
On my neglected Facebook account, for example, I had 82 connected apps. After removing many unused or defunct apps, like LivingSocial, Words With Friends and Draw Something, I had 32 left.
Use a VPN
CreditIllustration by Minh Uong/The New York Times
In April, Congress voted to overturn privacy rules that would have made it more difficult for broadband providers like Comcast and Charter to track and sell information about your browsing history to advertisers. The stronger privacy rules never went into effect, meaning nothing changed. But the privacy repeal underlined the sheer magnitude of data that internet service providers can collect and share about you. Subscribing to a virtual private network, or VPN, is a meaningful safeguard for your online privacy.
When you browse the web, a broadband provider helps route your device’s internet traffic to each destination website. Every device you use has an identifier consisting of a string of numbers, also known as an IP address. When you are on the internet, a service provider can see which devices you use and which sites you visit.
VPNs help cloak your browsing information from your internet provider. When you use VPN software, your device connects to a VPN provider’s servers. That way, all your web traffic passes through the VPN provider’s internet connection. So if your internet provider was trying to listen in on your web traffic, all it would see is the VPN server’s IP address connected to the VPN service.
VPNs aren’t perfect. They often slow down internet speeds significantly, and some apps or services don’t work properly when you are connected to a VPN. But everybody can benefit from using a private network, especially in certain situations, like connecting to an open Wi-Fi network at a cafe or an airport.
Protect Your Hardware
CreditIllustration by Minh Uong/The New York Times
Smartphones like Apple’s iPhone X and Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 reached several milestones this year. Their screens look terrific, and they are incredibly fast — and they are pricier than past smartphones. The iPhone X costs upward of $999, and the Galaxy Note 8 costs around $950. The downside is they are not more durable than previous phones.
The trend with these fancy new smartphones is to make the display take up as much of the face as possible. That means that a larger part of the body is composed of glass, which is susceptible to shattering. (The iPhone X even has a glass back so it can be charged wirelessly.) This trend is likely to continue, because people love having more screen.
So now is a good time to start investing in protecting your smartphone. Get a case or a screen protector — or both. Screen protectors help protect screens from scratches, which weaken the structural integrity of a display and may eventually lead to large cracks. A good case will protect your phone from scratches and absorb impact in those areas when your device is dropped.
Brian X. Chen is the lead consumer technology writer. He reviews products and writes Tech Fix, a column about solving tech-related problems. Before joining The Times in 2011 he reported on Apple and the wireless industry for Wired.
  @bxchen
BRIAN X. CHEN
The post 5 New Year’s Resolutions to Protect Your Technology appeared first on dailygate.
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carkeblake-blog · 8 years ago
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How To Setup a Wireless Router
Past Basic Setup
On the off chance that you've at any point acquired another PC, you know there's something else entirely to setting it up than simply removing it from the container and turning it on. The same is valid for your home switch. Assembling a home system isn't inconsequential, however it doesn't need to be excessively troublesome, either. Equipment makers are making it less demanding than any time in recent memory for even non-specialized clients to assemble home systems. New switches accompany plainly named ports, sometimes, shading coded, making it straightforward for clients to associate everything. Most switches have a fundamental arrangement preset at the plant, which rearranges things significantly more. What's more, organizing makers are intending to make things significantly more straightforward with work based Wi-Fi frameworks like Eero and Google Wifi, which are designed for extraordinary usability, offering quick, consistent application based set up.
However, on the grounds that you've connected everything to and it is by all accounts working doesn't mean your system's execution and security are on a par with they could be. Take after these essential strides to legitimately arrange your remote switch and improve your remote system and network.
Choosing the Right Router
The core of your home system is your switch. So it merits contributing time exploring your alternatives previously settling on one. A decent place to begin is our rundown of the best remote switches.
Contingent upon your present switch's age, you don't really need to move up to new equipment. In the event that your switch is more than a couple of years old, in any case, it might just help WEP for security—provided that this is true, overhaul immediately. WEP is never again secure.
Substantial ISPs, for example, Comcast and Verizon regularly furnish clients with switches rather than modems. The lion's share of these models are less component rich than the switches you could buy without anyone else. Additionally, some ISPs make it troublesome for clients to get to the design interface. Some ISPs even charge you additional on the off chance that you need to utilize certain highlights. For instance, Spectrum (previously Time Warner Cable) here in New York charges clients for turning on the switch's worked in Wi-Fi organize. Too bad, you should purchase your own particular switch.
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Getting Online
Since you have a switch, you have to get it associated and on the web. On the off chance that your specialist organization gave you a modem when they initiated your network access, this ought to be entirely straightforward. Simply take after these means:
Kill your modem,
Unplug the modem's Ethernet link from the PC,
Associate that link to the WAN or web port on your new switch,
Power on your modem (sit tight for a moment or two),
Next power on your switch (sit tight for a moment or two),
Presently utilize another Ethernet link to associate the PC to your switch's LAN port, and
Turn on your PC.
Of course, most buyer switches are set up to utilize DHCP to naturally allot an IP deliver to your PC. So if everything worked right, you should now be on the web.
In the event that you are utilizing an ISP-provided switch rather than a modem, things are more convoluted. To start with, you reconfigure the ISP's switch to work in connect mode before you interface it to your new switch. Extension mode implies the old switch doesn't do anything to the system movement and just passes it along to your new switch for handling. While you can do this all alone, a few suppliers will do it for you remotely once you make the demand.
Once the ISP provided switch is in connect mode, simply take after the above strides to get your new switch on the web.
Getting to the Management Console
With the switch and PC physically associated, you would now be able to start tweaking the switch's design. Most switches nowadays are overseen by means of a web program and are dispatched utilizing a default IP address, executive record, and secret key. This default IP address will shift from merchant to seller, so check your documentation to discover yours. When you have that data, getting to the administration reassure is simple.
Dispatch your program; it doesn't make a difference which one you utilize.
Enter the switch's IP address, which will look something like 192.168.0.1, into the program's address bar and press Enter.
You will see the switch's login screen requesting the default chairman username and secret key. After you supply those qualifications and press Enter, you ought to take a gander at the administration support.
Change the Password and Upgrade the Firmware
The main thing you ought to do is change the switch's default watchword. This may appear glaringly evident, however you'd be amazed what number of individuals don't do this. Keeping the default secret word bargains the security of your whole system and can leave your switch presented to anybody.
The following activity is to ensure your switch is running the most recent firmware discharged by the maker. This is a decent practice since you never know to what extent an item has sat on a rack before it made it into your hands. Likewise, firmware updates can address numerous potential issues previously you ever experience them. This procedure will change by seller; check your documentation for points of interest.
Dealing with Your IP Addresses With DHCP
Next it's an ideal opportunity to concentrate on your switch's LAN arrangement. As I already said, DHCP, which deals with all the IP addresses on your system, is regularly empowered naturally on most purchaser switches. Your switch utilizes the IP address, a numeric identifier, to find your PC and course the right system movement.
On the off chance that the PC or cell phone does not as of now have an IP address, it will ask for one from the system's DHCP server, which is on the switch. The DHCP server pulls an IP address from a pool of accessible IP addresses (called a Scope) and allocates it to the gadget. At the point when the gadget separates from the system, or a specific measure of time has passed (alluded to as a rent) the IP deliver comes back to the DHCP pool.
Certain gadgets, for example, servers and printers, need to dependably have a similar IP address. They can't have their addresses change intermittently. On the off chance that you are in that circumstance, you have to dole out a static IP address, an IP address that never goes in the DHCP pool and is doled out to the gadget for all time. To make static IP tends to accessible, we bar some IP addresses from the DHCP scope so they can be doled out physically.
To set the DHCP scope, take after these means:
Sign in to the switch's administration support and search for a heading like LAN Setup (or something comparative). Here you should see your LAN's IP address and subnet veil, alongside a segment for the DHCP server.
Dole out a scope of IP addresses for the DHCP server to utilize. Expecting your switch's IP address is 192.168.0.1 and you needed to dole out 50 IP delivers to the DHCP scope, you would set the Starting IP deliver to 192.168.0.2 and the Ending location to 192.168.0.51.
Working With Static IPs
Since you have some IP tends to accessible, you'll have to physically relegate them to gadgets that need static locations. What you have to do is to give the system connector of your gadget with an interesting IP address, the system Subnet Mask, the Gateway address and a DNS server address. In light of the above case, you could utilize any address in the vicinity of 192.168.0.52 and 192.168.0.254 for the IP address and 255.255.255.0 for the Subnet Mask. The Gateway and DNS address is the same as the switch's IP address; which is 192.168.0.1.
Simply make certain to keep a rundown of the static IP addresses you've relegated as of now with the goal that you don't reuse them again by botch. The procedure for allocating a static IP deliver to a system connector will shift in view of the gadget you're attempting to arrange, so check your documentation.
Enacting Your Wi-Fi
With your system now appropriately designed you can proceed onward to setting up your remote system. This is in reality extremely straightforward and should just take you two or three minutes. When you do this, ensure you utilize a PC that is associated with the system by means of an Ethernet link. On the off chance that you attempt to design Wi-Fi over remote, you'll lose the association with the administration support at whatever point changes to the arrangement are connected.
Presently take after these means:
Go into the switch's administration support and find the area titled Wireless Setup. It may be named distinctively relying upon your switch, yet it ought to be truly evident which one it is.
The remote system ought to be empowered of course, however in the event that it isn't, turn it on. On the off chance that you have a double band switch, you should see the setup settings for both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz systems. Both should be designed autonomously.
Next ensure the Channel is set to Auto and leave the Mode in its default setting. You can alter these settings later in the event that you feel the system is drowsy or in case you're encountering dropped associations.
This conveys us to the SSID. The SSID is the name of your remote system. You can name the system pretty much anything you need, and you unquestionably ought not abandon it set to the default esteem. Something illustrative is constantly great. For example, we may utilize something along the lines of PCM24 and PCM50. PCM24 would be the name doled out to the 2.4GHz system and PCM50 would be the name doled out to the 5GHz system. (PCM, obviously, remains for PCMag.)
The last advance is to set the encryption your Wi-Fi system will utilize. There are a couple of decisions here. The just a single you're keen on utilizing is WPA2.
There may be a couple of WPA2 alternatives recorded, yet you need the one recorded as WPA2-PSK [AES]. This is the largest amount of remote security right now accessible. A few switches still offer WEP. Try not to utilize it, as it is defenseless against savage power assaults.
Once you've set your encryption sort to WPA2, allot a Passphrase (otherwise known as password or key). This Passphrase should be in the vicinity of 8 and 63 characters in length and ought to be comprised of letters (both upper and lowercase), numbers and exceptional characters. The more extended the key, the more secure. Passphrases made up of arbitrary characters, for example, hy*#Pnj125!ou, are the best, yet in the event that you need to utilize a name or something different natural, try to toss in a few numbers and characters also.
All that is left now is to spare your con
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