Verizon Changing Users Router Passwords

Kohenkatz writes "I have Verizon FIOS at home and my Verizon-supplied Actiontec router had the password 'password1' that the tech assigned to it when he set it up three years ago. I received an email from Verizon that said 'we have identified that your router still had a password of either password1 or admin1 and we have changed it to your serial number.' I checked and it actually had been changed. I believe this to be in response to the Black Hat presentation about the hackability of home routers. I am upset about this because Verizon should not have any way to get into my router and change the settings, especially because I own the router, not them! I looked in the router's settings and I see port 4567 goes to the router and is labeled 'Verizon FIOS Service.' Is this port for anything useful other than Verizon changing settings on my router? What security measures does Verizon have to protect that port from unauthorized access?"

Comments

Huh!?

[topham]

Your worried about their level of access when you left it with the default password?

Change the thing yourself. DUH.

Re:uhhh

[smallfries]

Oh my god the irony is blinding.

Here are the errors in your "thinking" :

• If access to a system is disabled the strength of the password is irrelevant.
• Verizon used a hidden backdoor to his system. How this is a favour is anyone's guess.
• A company has supplied thousands of routers that have a hidden backdoor in them, with an unknown (but probably weak) level of security.

So yes he has informed people about it. Because that would be the best thing to do when you discover that an ISP that many people rely on has screwed them over in this fashion.

Re:uhhh

[poetmatt]

hahaha. and/or the fact that they, you know, own the router so of course they have access.

Re:uhhh

[Binkleyz]

Hey, that's the combination on my luggage!