News FTC slaps Asus with 20 years of security monitoring

Is it just me that thinks this ruling seems rather severe, that's not to say i disagree with it just that it seems more likely to get them to sort things out than X amount in fines, maybe our regulators could learn something from this.

 

Bad use of words when talking about security loopholes?

(It's probably just me. I did start reading the article and wondered how someone could attach 12,900 USB storage devices to their router... Yeah, it's been a long day.)

Asus' appalling security notwithstanding, does anybody actually believe the claims made in adverts. Perhaps Asus could start taking tips from the beauty industry: "79% of 53 users said they hadn't been hacked"?

 

I was thinking more in terms of forcing them to do the right thing rather than expecting financial cost to be a motivating factor for doing the right thing, that and financial costs inevitably get passed onto the consumer IMO.

 

Agree. It should be mandatory for anything that deals with internet access; OS', routers, IoT etc!

 

Problem is that one that would be totally unenforceable, two would offer no more than a CE mark does on products, i.e. its a badge on convenience and doesn't actually mean the product has been tested. three all it takes is one compromised knock off device attached to a network to offer an attack vector/entry point. Seeing as internationally nothing but token efforts can be done about counterfeiting there is no chance legislation would work.

The real solution is to flip the problem around and make it very much a caveat emptor where you the user needs to consider security and be suspicious of anything you attach to your network. Rough rule of thumb if it just works out the box with no config then it wide open and needs locking down, view convenience with suspicion and the world would be a safer place.

 

Bit difficult to be suspicious of anything you attach to your network if you don't know what security flaws maybe present in the (often) proprietary software that's running on that device.

 

Surprise. Shoddy Asus products hit the headlines.