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g · SecurityCurated

D-Link and McAfee present a “security router”

Summary

At CES 2018 D-Link and McAfee presented the DIR-2680 router with built-in security functions. It was to cost around 250 US dollars, offer MU-MIMO and support up to 128 clients. There was also virus protection via McAfee’s engine and parental control management via an app.

Ideas

  • Routers are meant to protect home networks automatically against attacks.
  • Management is done remotely via the manufacturer’s app.
  • Security companies were looking for a new market with routers.

Insights

  • A router with a cloud connection and manufacturer services itself enlarges the attack surface.
  • Protective functions in the router do not replace updates for the devices behind it.
  • Whether a security router breaks open HTTPS decides privacy and trust.

Facts

  • The device was to appear in the second quarter of 2018.
  • F-Secure and Symantec had previously presented similar routers.
  • Five years of family control and two years of McAfee subscription were included in the price; follow-up costs were open.

References

Critique

  • The report adopts the figure “2600 Mbyte/s”, which very probably means megabits per second.

Recommendations

  • With “security routers”, check which data is sent to the manufacturer for analysis.
  • Rely on regularly updated router firmware rather than additional subscriptions.

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