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Seemingly minor and easily overlooked settings can still have profound security implications. Here are some steps you can take to make sure your wired or wireless home router — and by extension, your network — is as secure as possible.
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NOTE:
These instructions have changed since the original 3/6/01
posting. If you followed the old instructions, please
read and follow the new instructions below. The old instructions
open a very bad security hole in your router!
First, check that the Input Filter
Sets are set correctly by following this procedure:
a) Telnet into the SMT interface and find the Remote Node
Profile Menu option.
b) Enter the Remote Node screen and tab to the SessionOptions parameter and use your Space bar to toggle
Edit Filter Sets to Yes and press Enter.
c) On the Remote Node Filter screen, check that the
Input Filter Sets, protocol filters= is set
to 3. If it is, press the Escape
key until you get to the top SMT menu. Now follow the
Filter Modification procedure below.
d) If Input Filter Sets, protocol filters=
is blank, tab to that line, Type 3, then press your
Enter key until you get to the "Enter here
to Confirm or ESC to CANCEL:" line. Press Enter
again. You should see "Saving to ROM...Please
Wait" flash by quickly.
If you don't see the "Saving to ROM..." message,
the new value has not been saved! Repeat Step
b and this step until you see the message.
Filter
Modification Procedure
Routers with 3.XX firmware come with default filters set so
that FTP, Telnet, and HTTP (Web) servers
on the LAN side of the router can't be accessed, even if you
set up the proper SUA port and IP address of the server.
These filters are important to the routers' security because
they block WAN (Internet) access to the HTTP, FTP, and Telnet
administration services that are built into the routers.
If you need to run HTTP, Telnet or FTP servers on your LAN that
must be accessed from the Internet, you'll need to change the
appropriate filter rule for the service you want to run.
To change the filter rule, follow the procedure below:
(The screen shots below are from an RT314 with 3.24
firmware.)
1) Telnet into the SMT interface and find the Filter
Set Configuration option. Enter the number of this
option and press the Enter key. This will bring
you to the Filter Set Configuration screen shown below.
2) Enter the Filter Set Number (which should be 3
in the default router configuration) and press Enter
three times. This will bring you to the Filter Rules Summary
screen shown below.
3) Enter the number of the rule that you want to change.
Rule 1 is for Telnet (Port 23), Rule 2 is for FTP (Port 21),
and Rule 3 is for HTTP (Port 80). This will bring you
to the Filter Rule screen as shown below.
Important:
Change only the rule for the services that you want to run.
Changing or disabling the Telnet or FTP rules will expose those
administration services to the WAN (Internet) even if you do
not have an SUA defined for those services!
4) Tab (or press Enter) down to the Action Matched parameter,
and press the Space Bar until the Action Matched parameter shows
Forward as shown in the screen shot above. Press
Enter twice and you should see "Saving to ROM...Please
Wait" flash by quickly. If
you don't see the "Saving to ROM..." message, the
new value has not been saved! Repeat Steps 2-4 until
you see the message!
5) Repeat Step 2 and check the Filter Rules Summary
screen. You should see an F in the m column for
Rule 3 as shown below. press your ESC key to back
out of the menus to the top level of the SMT and exit SMT.
Your SUA setting should now work. If you do not see an
F in the m column for Rule 3, repeat this procedure
until you have an F in the m column for Rule 3.
NOTE:
These instructions have changed since the original 3/6/01
posting. If you followed the old instructions, please
read and follow the new instructions below. The old instructions
open a very bad security hole in your router!
