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Articles for Category Tag - Security

Study Warns Internet Fibre Optic Links at Risk from Huge Solar Storm

8th September, 2021 (17 Comments)

Once every 100 years or so our sun emits a massive Coronal Mass Ejection (CMEs) and these can be enough to cause damage to certain electrical systems, satellites and power grids etc. But a new study has also warned of an “internet apocalypse” because the next such event could knock out critical submarine fibre optic cables.

DDoS Attack Disrupts VoIP and Internet Services at Voipfone UK UPDATE3

1st September, 2021 (44 Comments)

Customers of both Voipfone’s UK business broadband and Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) services are reporting to ISPreview.co.uk that the provider has suffered significant service disruption for the past day or two, which appears to be at least partly the result of a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) assault against their systems.

Security Issues for Owners of BT’s Cloud Voice Handsets and Other IP Phones

14th August, 2021 (33 Comments)

Businesses that decide to sell their unwanted BT Cloud Voice handsets on eBay need to take extra care because some models, such as the Yealink W60P phones, may retain the prior customer’s account credentials. As a result, those who purchase them could find that they’re able to make calls on another person’s account.

Parliamentary Committee Starts Scrutinising UK Online Safety Bill

29th July, 2021 (2 Comments)

A new cross-party “super committee” has today begun to scrutinise the UK Government’s new Online Safety Bill (Online Harms), which aims to have Ofcom clampdown on “harmful” online content (e.g. hate speech, bullying, terrorism, conspiracy theories etc.), while precariously trying to balance that with freedom of speech.

Lords Committee Warn Online Safety Bill Threatens Free Speech

22nd July, 2021 (9 Comments)

The House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee has today published the outcome of its recent inquiry into freedom of expression, which warns that the UK Government’s new Online Safety Bill (Online Harms) is a “threat to free speech” due to its clampdown on “legal but harmful” content and “would be ineffective.”

Serious Security Vulnerability Hits DrayTek’s UK Fibre Routers

12th July, 2021 (9 Comments)

Customers using several high-end fibre (SFP / VPN Firewall) routers from popular Taiwan-based manufacturer DrayTek, specifically their Vigor 3910 (retailing at c.£690) and Vigor 2962 (c.£380) models, need to grab the latest security update ASAP. Otherwise, they risk leaving themselves exposed to a “critical” new exploit.

DNS Providers May Be Forced to Block Internet Piracy Websites

21st June, 2021 (29 Comments)

In a possible sign of things to come, Sony has won a key court case in Germany that could force Domain Name Service (DNS) providers, such as Quad9 and eventually others too (Google Public DNS, OpenDNS, Cloudflare etc.), to block access to a website due to internet copyright infringement (piracy).

BT Prep Firmware Fix for DNS Request Hungry WiFi Repeaters

11th June, 2021 (2 Comments)

Customers of UK broadband ISP BT, specifically those with one of the operator’s Mini Whole Home Wi-Fi systems (mesh repeaters) and a custom DNS setup on their personal network, have been told to expect a firmware patch, again, after complaining that their connections were making masses of DNS lookups to Google and Microsoft.

Major Internet Disruption Hits Access to Big Websites – Error 503 UPDATE2

8th June, 2021 (10 Comments)

Customers of various UK broadband ISPs and mobile operators are today reporting that they’re unable to access major online newspapers, government and other websites, with many facing the “Error 503 Service Unavailable” message. Fingers are currently being pointed at Amazon’s cloud services and another cloud provider, Fastly.

AVM Talks Broadband Routers in a Time of Chip Shortages and COVID

31st May, 2021 (13 Comments)

In a new interview AVM, which is a well-known German manufacturer of home networking products (e.g. FRITZ!Box broadband routers for UK ISPs), has spoken to ISPreview.co.uk about how they’re responding to some of the year’s biggest challenges – from COVID-19 to 6GHz WiFi and a global shortage of semiconductor chips etc.

Rural UK Fibre ISP Truespeed Criticised for Restrictive Router

28th May, 2021 (28 Comments)

Full fibre broadband ISP Truespeed, which is currently building a Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network across rural areas of South West England (here), has been criticised by a number of customers for their questionable approach to WiFi security, as well as other access restrictions on their bundled router.

Three UK Adds New Anti-SPAM Filter and Continues 4G Upgrades

19th May, 2021 (27 Comments)

Mobile operator Three UK has today issued a progress update on their various 4G and 5G (mobile broadband) network upgrades, which among other things reveals that they’ve now added their 1400MHz band to boost 4G speeds to over 1900 sites and have introduced a new anti-SPAM filter to protect text (SMS) messaging.

Security Researchers Find Vulnerabilities in UK WiFi Smart Plugs

18th May, 2021 (20 Comments)

The Head of Technical Cyber Security at A&O IT Group, Richard Hughes, has today warned UK consumers to be careful when buying cheap WiFi Smart Plugs from Amazon, eBay or AliExpress because some devices were found to harbour significant security vulnerabilities that could leave end-users exposed.

BT Begin Replacing UK 4G and 5G Mobile Kit from Huawei in Hull

17th May, 2021 (9 Comments)

The BT Group (EE) has officially started its £500m programme to remove and replace Huawei’s 4G and 5G mobile (mobile broadband) kit within their UK network, with the city of Hull in East Yorkshire being the first on a long list of 12,000 mobile masts and rooftop sites that will need to be done (they run a total of 18,000 sites).

Supporters Named for New DNS Resolver Policy to Improve Privacy

13th May, 2021 (0 Comments)

The recently proposed ‘European DNS Resolver Policy‘, which aims to foster better standards for privacy and transparency across resolver services for the internet’s Domain Name System (e.g. those run by UK ISPs and third-party providers), has today secured support from several leading organisations.

Millions of UK WiFi Routers and Devices at Risk of FragAttacks

13th May, 2021 (0 Comments)

A Belgian security researcher, Mathy Vanhoef, has uncovered a bunch of new vulnerabilities in Wi-Fi (wireless networking) technology that stem from a mix of historic design flaws and programming mistakes, some of which may have been present since all the way back in 1997! You’re about to hear a lot about “FragAttacks.“

Gov Publish UK Online Safety Bill to Censor “Harmful” Content UPDATE

12th May, 2021 (23 Comments)

After much delay the UK Government will today publish a draft of their new Online Safety Bill (Online Harms), which among other things hands Ofcom a new “legal duty of care” that can be used to force websites into removing “harmful” internet content. Failing to do so may risk being fined or blocked by mobile and broadband ISPs.