OT FYI: Comcast's WiFi router lets your ISP spy on you, shut you down

http://www.boingboing.net/2004/05/07/comcasts_wifi_router.html

Om Malik warns that the Linksys WiFi boxes that Comcast is supplying to its
customers allow Comcast to remotely detect and disconnect devices on your
home network, like your VoIP phone which competes with Comcast's
long-distance service).

If you scroll through the press release, you come to a section which says
that the gateway supports a CableHome 1.0 "for the ability to deliver
secure, managed services from Comcast's head-end network to the subscribers'
home network." Now there is a big problem with this thing - for instance,
the Cablehome 1.0 standard allows cable operators to snoop around their home
networks and learn things such as how many computers are attached to the
gateway and what kind of traffic they are generating/receiving. (Beware
Vonage fans, this could be used to detect your Vonage ATA as well.)

In case you were wondering, where's the juice. Go to the Cable Labs website
and read this document. Scroll down to Section 6.3.1 and read:

The goals for the CableHome Management Portal include:
* Enable viewing of LAN IP Device information obtained via the CableHome
DHCP Portal (CDP)
* Enable viewing of the results of LAN IP Device performance monitoring done
by the CableHome Test Portal (CTP)
* Provide the capability to disable LAN segments

 

Derek,
Don't believe everything you read on the web ;-)
Just because something is in a specification doesn't mean it actually
has been implemented. I think everyone who hangs out in this
newsgroups knows what my day job is ;-)

 

I figured you would get a kick out of that one <g>.

=D-