Router vulnerability

[#1]

Hi everyone, just got connected to Plusnet broadband today. So far happy with everything. BUT

I noticed on my I phone which is also connected to the same wi-fi as computer that my avast security is warning me that" the router is accessible from the internet' I have not had any such message on my also connected laptop.

It says I can be hacked. I set it up with the password on the little card they sent which seems quite complicated and I'm not sure anyone could guess that, or should I somehow go into the wi-fi and change the password.

Or am I worrying needlessly.

Any help most appreciated, and if you want me to follow some instructions to beat this issue, can you explain it very simply, I mean Janet and John simple, as I am a middle aged parent who has to ask his children how to work my I-Phone!

Thanks

Gazza 

[#2]

Welcome to the forums, @WALA . To be honest, I would ignore that 'warning'. I run Avast on my laptop,and it keeps telling me perfectly legitimate programs are a risk. If I followed their 'advice', I would end up with a crippled system - one of the programs it tells me to disable is a much more robust element of my security.

Your chances of being hacked, using the default setup are low to non-existent,. I haven't bothered setting any AV on my phone, and in 7 years of use, I've never even had an attempted hack. Likewise my iPad, and I've had that for longer.

[#3]

Thanks for that
I thought so the password you get is a good mix and not easily hack able

I’ll ignore avast 🤓

[#4]

This crops up from time to time. The suspicion is that Avast detects the port that Plusnet can use to update your firmware and sees it as a risk. See.https://community.plus.net/t5/Tech-Help-Software-Hardware-etc/Router-Vulnerabilities-Found/m-p/16129....  Just ignore it.

[#5]

Thanks @Baldrick1  - thought I'd seen some reference to that somewhere - but only after I'd posted.

[#6]

A friend of mine also had this and contacted me in a tizzy.

In addition to the auto updates/diag scraping carried out by our ISP, it does appear to be related to avast 'doing an E.T.', it then sees your standard SSID in the form of 'PLUSNET-xyz' and it probably gives a false positive as avast state that routers beaming out your ISP name is a vulnerability as they believe hackers out there have a step forward, as in they know what type of router you're using.

They suggest changing the SSID to 'exampl-abc' to mask the router in use

(could be in the link above, but didn't read it before posting;))

[#7]

Hi DS

thanks for that. I did put my router address into a browser and it shoed me the name and password, but how easy would it be for a hacker to accurately guess the router web address, its the 192.xxx.x.12 type, because if it is easy I could be vulnerable. Could I make this info password protected or am I being over cautious.?

[#8]

How easy - with the right 'tool's, very easy

but

Would anyone really want to hack a Joe Public - no, not that likely

With the router in it's default state, the default firewall settings should take care of it

You can change the name of your SSID if you wish, but I wouldn't worry about it in honesty

Though don't do what I see all too often, place the rear of the router facing a window - they've only got to walk up, take a peak and jump onto your wifi....