Re: Web hijacking by router - a new method of advertisement by Belkin

["Steven M. Bellovin" <smb () research att com>]

In message <Pine.LNX.4.44.0311072211400.3208-100000 () sokol elan net>, william@el
an.net writes:
> Would be interesting to see if their current advertisement (every 8 hours) 
> page would now be replaced with "We're so sorry that you're seeing this 
> page, please make sure to download our latest patch so your router never 
> bother you again and would keep us out of legal trouble" message...

The Belkin posting reproduced on Slashdot indicates that when you 
unsubscribe via their Web page, it modifies the configuration of your 
router.  Say, what?  There are ways in which an external Web server can 
change things on my box?  How is that secured?  I can think of lots of 
bad answers to that question, and not very many good ones.

                --Steve Bellovin, http://www.research.att.com/~smb