Slashdot Mirror
D-Link DIR-655 Firmware 1.21 Hijacks Your Internet Connection
chronopunk writes "Normally when you think of firmware updates for a router you would expect security updates and bug fixes. Would you ever expect the company that makes the product to try and sell you a subscription for security software using its firmware as a salesperson? I recently ran into this myself when trying to troubleshoot my router. I noticed when trying to go to Google that my router was hijacking DNS and sent me to a website trying to sell me a software subscription. After upgrading your D-link DIR-655 router to the latest firmware you'll see that D-link does this, and calls the hijacking a 'feature.'"
Probably not. But what are you going to do about it? After enough stink, there will likely be a class action suit. No one that has been wronged will get real resolution (maybe a coupon for a new D-link model router for their trouble!). The amount paid out by D-Link will be less than the profit they get from these things. Business as usual.
The only solution is to burn the place down or kill a few key people, then let them all know why. But no one is going to throw their life away on a bad router purchase.
"When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back!" -- Cave Johnson
After massive amounts of pain with consumer/prosumer-grade (many of the D-Link) routers in the past two years, I finally dropped real money for a real broadband router earlier this year. So far, I've had months and months of trouble-free service.
Now I start hearing crap like this. Makes me even MORE thankful I bit the bullet.
Also "you can turn it off!" apologists? WHY IT IS ON BY DEFAULT? Moreover, tell that to some luddite who barely understands how to boot his computer.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
What's annoying with things like this (and others) is that it just gets in the way and obstructs your work.
I choose things based on their lack of snarkiness. I don't want a Windows PC full of crapware. I'd rather just pay the manufacturer a few extra bucks to cover the loss of crapware kickbacks. I used to run an AV, but occassionally, it would bring up a message telling me I wasn't fully protected because I wasn't running their antispam (despite running Thunderbird). When my renewal came up, I chose another company, and I told them that this was one of the reasons.
Mod parent up -- I've been running DD-WRT v23 SP2 on a 54GL and have had zero problems. Current uptime is 68 days, and that's only because I had to break down my equipment to move it to another room. Actual uptime would be more like a year, without ever having to look at it or even think about it.
Isn't it nice when things just work?
What annoys be about my D-Link DSL-504T router is that although it runs some sort of customised GNU/Linux (I did "ssh admin@10.1.1.1" and had a look inside), their documentation and website make not the slightest mention of this, let alone make the source code available.
It's been a long time since I bought from DLink anyway. Their products are expensive, inconsistent, unreliable and plain ugly. I hate how they always use non standard names for things like port forwarding, making it hard to talk people through it over the phone.
This is a new low for DLink, and is further vindication of my strict no-DLink policy.
I hate printers.