The company recently sent an automated email to its broadband customers, informing them that it was making security improvements to its routers. It would be doing this remotely from exchanges across the country. But these so-called ‘improvements’ have caused internet and internal VPN connections to break.

After analysing log files on the router concerned, www.BroadbandChoices.co.uk identified that the ISP had downloaded all the configuration settings for the modems, including important passwords. We also easily identified the login and password being used to access the router. And, with one quick Google search, we found a de-crypted version of the password being used for remote maintenance.