[Cialug] FCC to Make DD-WRT on 5GHz Wireless Routers Illegal?

Sun Nov 22 22:31:30 CST 2015

Followup
http://lifehacker.com/psa-yes-you-can-still-hack-your-wi-fi-router-legally-1742742332
On Sep 4, 2015 1:28 PM, "jim kraai" <jimgkraai at gmail.com> wrote:

> Well, they do have a responsibility to their stockholders, er, it's
> stockholder, Rocco B. Commisso
>
> On Fri, Sep 4, 2015 at 1:12 PM, Scott Yates <Scott at yatesframe.com> wrote:
>
>> All cable modems have a back door for "configuration" purposes.  As I
>> understand it, they all basically wake up and ask for configuration
>> information (over tftp still I think) from the upstream system.  The main
>> issue was that my modem was the same model# as the ones they rent.
>>
>> And yes, it HAD crossed my mind to move it further up, but they corrected
>> the issue, and in this case I think it was an honest mistake.
>>
>> Now the whole remove features and charge to put them back thing on the
>> other hand!
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Sep 4, 2015 at 1:08 PM, jim kraai <jimgkraai at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> > That's pretty interesting.
>> >
>> > Just an earful?  No call to the AG about their malicious hacking (and
>> > hijacking etc.) of your personal property?
>> >
>> > So ... how'd they get into your router?  Was there a backdoor or did you
>> > leave the default password or cable-guy home invasion or what?
>> >
>> >
>> > On Fri, Sep 4, 2015 at 1:01 PM, Scott Yates <Scott at yatesframe.com>
>> wrote:
>> >
>> > > Mediacom downgraded the firmware on the Cisco wireless routers they
>> use,
>> > > and locked their customers out of wifi.  They then turned around and
>> > > decided to charge customers monthly to allow them to use wifi.
>> Complete
>> > > and total asshat move.
>> > >
>> > > What made matters even MORE annoying is that they did the same thing
>> to
>> > the
>> > > router I OWNED.  They got an ear-full over that stunt.
>> > >
>> > > After they corrected their mistake on my personal router, I was still
>> > > annoyed (once bitten and all that) so I went and got a Motorola dumb
>> > modem
>> > > and bridged it into a pfsense machine for all my routing.
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > On Fri, Sep 4, 2015 at 9:58 AM, jim kraai <jimgkraai at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> > >
>> > > > unfamiliar w/ the mediacom's whole home wireless.
>> > > >
>> > > >
>> > > > On Fri, Sep 4, 2015 at 9:18 AM, Barry Von Ahsen <vonahsen at gmail.com
>> >
>> > > > wrote:
>> > > >
>> > > > > you mean like mediacom's whole home wireless?
>> > > > >
>> > > > >
>> > > > > -barry
>> > > > >
>> > > > >
>> > > > >
>> > > > > > On Sep 4, 2015, at 6:35 AM, jim kraai <jimgkraai at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > > Maybe the companies sees what the auto and heavy equipment
>> > industries
>> > > > are
>> > > > > > doing and recognized a chance to turn a one-time router purchase
>> > > into a
>> > > > > > long-term router subscription and asked people in the FCC to
>> create
>> > > > these
>> > > > > > rules for that purpose.
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > > On Fri, Sep 4, 2015 at 8:14 AM, Matt <matt at itwannabe.com>
>> wrote:
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > >> Of course the FCC isn't TRYING to ban DD-WRT, OpenWRT, or other
>> > open
>> > > > > >> source firmwares.  They just don't understand that it is a
>> > trillion
>> > > > > times
>> > > > > >> easier for a company to sign the whole firmware with a 4096-bit
>> > > > private
>> > > > > key
>> > > > > >> than it is to separate the chunk of code that runs the radios
>> and
>> > > only
>> > > > > sign
>> > > > > >> it.  It's also cheaper for the company to utilize SDRs than it
>> is
>> > to
>> > > > > >> develop and ASIC with the functionality of the radios baked in,
>> > and
>> > > > > even if
>> > > > > >> it wasn't that would prevent the company from ever upgrading
>> the
>> > > > radios
>> > > > > >> should a bug of some sort be found after production began.
>> > > > > >>
>> > > > > >> What will end up happening is the FCC will put out some
>> > > > > >> poorly/loosely-worded regulation that the industry will panic
>> > about,
>> > > > and
>> > > > > >> everything from the router firmware all the way down to the
>> > flashing
>> > > > of
>> > > > > the
>> > > > > >> wifi activity LED will be buried under ninety tons of
>> > > DRM/encryption.
>> > > > > >> Everyone who wants a guest network or any other neat feature
>> from
>> > > > their
>> > > > > >> next router will end up having to either buy a $350 top of the
>> > line
>> > > > > router,
>> > > > > >> get a new/used/refurbished enterprise (Cisco, anyone?) router,
>> or
>> > > > build
>> > > > > a
>> > > > > >> custom router using an old PC and a WiFi card just to get that
>> one
>> > > > > feature
>> > > > > >> they need.  All this while everyone else ends up having to go
>> back
>> > > to
>> > > > > their
>> > > > > >> crappy original firmware with a terrible feature set, clunky
>> web
>> > > > > interface,
>> > > > > >> and awful network monitoring capabilities (if any at all) when
>> > they
>> > > > > decide
>> > > > > >> to upgrade.
>> > > > > >>
>> > > > > >> -- Matt (N0BOX)
>> > > > > >>
>> > > > > >>
>> > > > > >> On 9/3/2015 11:21 PM, Scott Yates wrote:
>> > > > > >>
>> > > > > >>> Not so much maybe:
>> > > > > >>>
>> > > > > >>>
>> > > > >
>> > > >
>> > >
>> >
>> https://www.techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20150831/07164532118/no-fcc-is-not-intentionally-trying-to-kill-third-party-wi-fi-router-firmware.shtml
>> > > > > >>>
>> > > > > >>> On Thu, Sep 3, 2015 at 10:19 PM, jim kraai <
>> jimgkraai at gmail.com>
>> > > > > wrote:
>> > > > > >>>
>> > > > > >>> What?
>> > > > > >>>>
>> > > > > >>>>
>> > > > >
>> > > >
>> > >
>> >
>> http://hackaday.com/2015/09/02/save-wifi-act-now-to-save-wifi-from-the-fcc/
>> > > > > >>>> _______________________________________________
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