O2 finds solution to fix its Wireless Box router security flaw

  • September 4, 2009

UK high-speed broadband provider, O2 said, in a statement, that the ISP has successfully found a solution to the security problem with its Wireless Box II and III routers.

Earlier, Paul Mutton, a security expert published an article which revealed the vulnerability of O2 Wireless routers to hack attacks. The author of the article, a O2 broadband customer himself, claimed that he had found a major security flaw on the router design that will allow hackers to view or change the settings on O2 wireless box routers.

O2 wireless box III router

O2 broadband ISP immediately reacted to this article and said it would look into the matter ‘seriously’.

Now, O2 issued this statement:

“Having been notified of a potential security issue with our O2 wireless box we have been working to find a solution. We have taken this issue very seriously and have been continuing to investigating it with the routers manufacturer, Thomson. As a result we have identified a solution and we will be applying this remotely to all of our customers O2 wireless boxes. This means that customers will not have to take any action themselves.”

As we all know, wireless broadband involves some security risks. Since thin air, not wires or cables, carries the data packets, anyone, with certain devices, can interrupt them and know what a user is doing online. It is the preventive measures like proper firewall settings or WPA security settings that would ensure wireless broadband security.

Follow these simple instructions to safeguard you from hackers:

  • Check whether you have properly setup your wireless network.
  • Always use firewall and check to see it is properly configured.
  • Configure the wireless router so that it ensures maximum security (use the security features).
  • Create security passwords difficult to crack. Use strong passwords with alpha-numeric characters, however, make sure that you remember them easily.