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Security Alerts

Mon, Apr 16, 2001; by David Stodolsky.

You can't depend on manufacturers to acknowledge security problems, even when there are multiple major deficiencies:

http://security.sdsc.edu/self-help/alcatel/alcatel-bugs.html

IV. Vendor information

Searches of the www.alcatel.com and associated sites turned up no security information, other than how to recover or reset the passwords and other configuration information from the router via physical access.

An interesting item showed up at: http://www.alcatel.com/consumer/dsl/supfaqusa.htm#usa3

    There's no firewall in the A1000 or Home, does it make these modems
    unsafe to use?


    Absolutely not. When in standard settings, these modems do not allow
    any connection from the outside world to your modem or computer,
    except when requested by your machine. This means it only allows
    replies on your request, for example the loading of a webpage after
    clicking a link. When a computer, unknown to your modem, is trying to
    connect to your modem or computer, it will be blocked.

Caveat emptor.