Brute force attacks? Zyxel to tighten protection on routers and CPE

 

A common threat facing networks today is the brute force attack, a password-guessing method in which someone tries to gain unauthorized access to a network by systematically trying every possible combination of usernames/passwords until a match is found.

 

To better protect users from brute force attacks, Zyxel will tighten the protection on its routers and customer premise equipment (CPE) in their next major firmware release. The new protection measure will lock out user accounts for 5-10 minutes upon a defined number of failed password attempts, as specified in table 1.

 

Zyxel also suggests users take the following steps as good general security practice:

1. Increase password strength. Long and complex passwords are harder to crack.
2. Change passwords on a regular basis.
3. Make sure all devices are running on the latest version of firmware

 

Table 1

Home Routers

Protection: Lock out account for 10 minutes after 5 failed log-ins

 

LTE & 3G CPE

Protection: Lock out account for 5 minutes after 3 failed log-ins

 

DSL CPE

Protection: Lock out account for 5 minutes after 3 failed log-ins

 

Please contact your local service or sales representatives if you require any further assistance. 
To report security vulnerabilities, please contact security@zyxel.com.tw.