Men’s Club Members: will use that router.

Men's Club Members: While we are not practicing I.T. Cyber Security Professionals (just a bunch of retired individuals with opinions on many topics), at our last Men's Club meeting on May 24, 2018, we discussed Xfinity router security settings. The discussion applies to most all routers, but as most members currently use Xfinity modem/routers, the examples provided will use that router.

This topic came to our attention recently when one of our Board members was contacted by Xfinity to say that there was a problem with the current Xfinity router and that it would be replaced, free of charge. The new router was a model TG1682G. All routers have two IDs (User names) and two passwords. The first is a "user ID and password" that Xfinity provides. The second is an administrator ID and a password. As with most routers, the administrator ID is admin, and the password is password. While it is not

possible to change the administrator ID, it is very important to change the admin password to something of your choice that would not be known by most hackers, and now, all of your Men's Club neighbors. To sign on to the router admin account, enter the following address into your browser: 10.0.0.1 (Note: not )

A screen similar to the above screen should appear. Enter the password, which is password. Change the password...and do not lose this password.

The next thing that came to our attention on the TG1682G router is that the security level came set to "Minimum Security (low)". At the meeting, we recommended that the security level be increased to at least "Typical Security (Medium). Further testing indicates that upgrading to "Maximum Security (High) causes no noticeable performance issues, and no issues when accessing favorite web sites.

Upgrading the security level also provides WPA2-PSK (AES) 256 bit encryption. This was verified with the Xfinity help desk. You can verify WPA2-PSK (AES), as on the slide below. [Note: WPA2-PSK (AES) It is the safest mode for securing your WiFi network. It is compatible with almost all WiFi based devices. It includes the latest encryption standards (AES). AES 256 (bit) is approved for encrypting highly sensitive government, up to, but not including classified information.]

While you are signed on, you can also change your wireless network name (SSID), should you choose to do so. If you are not comfortable with making any of these changes, the Xfinity help desk can assist. They will walk you through any or all of these changes.

The first time that we made these changes, we consulted with the Xfinity help desk. At that time, they also told us that if we changed the admin password and did not change it back before returning the router, that they would charge us $300. There are 3 ways to change the admin password back to "password".

1. Reverse this same process and change the password back to password.

2. Ask the Xfinity help desk to assist in resetting the password 3. Unfold a paperclip and carefully stick it into the tiny hole in the

back of the router to depress the small button inside. With the router plugged in and turned in. Press and Hold for 10 seconds. This will return the router to factory settings and will avoid any password change related charges from Xfinity.

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