After configuring our Internet routers, we often don’t think about how secure they are. Some of us may be guilty of rushing through the setup process and skipping some very important and expensive steps. The router produced and sold by ASUSTek is one that you would definitely know about. Asus itself has recognized that difficulties can arise if your router is not configured correctly. I’ll give you some of the many reasons to take your time and set up your Asus router correctly.
Some of their routers come with features called AiCloud and AiDisk, which allow users to connect a hard drive to their routers to allow them to create their own cloud storage. Since the release of these routers there has been a complaint from the FTC. The complaint states that Asus routers had/have significant security issues that allow hackers to negatively affect consumers by gaining access to sensitive information, for example, tax documents that people have stored on these cloud services.
If you use an Asus router at home, consider applying the following recommendations as soon as possible. First, make sure you download the latest security updates for your router. The FTC has noted that the Asus Router Update Toolkit will show that your router is currently up to date when many times it really isn’t. This is one of the main factors that is putting people’s personal information at risk.
In the future, Asus is required to fix this issue and provide accurate up-to-date information on software updates. With that being said, I recommend that this has taken place with your router. Check your Asus router’s software update tool and visit the Asus support site for the latest security updates. Check and make sure your network storage is set to limited. Make sure your access to your AiCloud and AiDisk is limited to your preference. The FTC also discovered a problem with one of the default settings within AiDisk’s settings, which gives anyone on the Internet access to your personal storage. For maximum privacy, choose the “limited” or “admin rights” access option, rather than the default “unlimited” option. Be sure to change the default passwords given for the router. The FTC found that the provided default passwords were considered “weak.” In general, be careful what you are doing on the internet, as there will always be a risk of hackers.