I thought my old router was safe because it still worked fine

I was cleaning out my closet last week and found the manual for my old router, a Netgear WNDR3400. Out of curiosity, I looked up its last firmware update date online. It was 2015. That means it hasn't had a security patch in almost nine years, which is a huge window for hackers. I always figured if it connected to the internet, it was okay, but that's clearly wrong. Has anyone else been shocked by how old their gear's security support really is?

3 comments

3 Comments

patricialee1mo ago

My cousin works in IT and he calls old routers like that "open doors" for anyone to walk through... it's kind of scary when you put it that way. I read an article that said a ton of home network attacks start with old, forgotten gear that never gets updates. Makes you want to go check every single thing plugged into the wall. Your post just convinced me to finally look up the model number of my own router sitting in the corner.

iris57429d ago

Wow, you're totally right to check that stuff. I had the same thing happen with my home network last year. I found an old modem I forgot about in the basement, still plugged in and everything. What worked for me was making a list of every device connected to the network, then physically unplugging anything I couldn't identify. @patricialee, it's a pain at first but it really pays off once you see how many old things are just sitting there waiting to be a problem.

joseph_adams661mo ago

Found my old one still running default passwords last month.