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Good Security From Verizon, No Really

July 26, 2010 - Filed under: Information,Recommendations,security

Several years ago I wrote a post called Verizon and “Good” Security where I was very critical of their asking me to click on a link in their email to log in to their site and verify my password. I refused and they sent me the email several more times.

I haven’t thought about that in a long time and then this weekend I got a new one.

Dear Valued Verizon Customer,
Customer security is a top priority for Verizon. Due to increased security threats against routers, we are reviewing the administrative password protection for the HSI router/modem that Verizon provides in connection with your HSI Service.

During this review, we found many instances where HSI routers/modems are not protected by a strong password (weak passwords include “default” passwords like “password”). Verizon is encouraging all HSI customers to take steps to strengthen their router’s security by establishing a stronger unique administrative password.

Please visit our Router Security update page for step-by-step instructions on how to update your router’s administrative password.

IMPORTANT: The weblinks we include in emails concerning this issue will only connect to additional sites where further information and updates may be found. If you receive an email that claims to be from Verizon on this security issue and it contains links that, when “clicked”, ask for personal information or password data, do not provide that information.

We value you as a customer and look forward to continuing to serve you.
Sincerely,
Verizon

My first thought was that maybe someone, somewhere inside Verizon actually read my email. Probably not, but I am sure I wasn’t the only one to complain. In the end it doesn’t really matter because it looks like they listened to someone.

I think having an open Wi-Fi and you sharing bandwidth with your neighbors is probably a bigger issue to Verizon, but there are definitely risks to an open network, along with a few advantages.

What I really like in this email is first they talk about secure passwords. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve run into business website owners with passwords like their name or the business name. The password you use is the key to your store.

The second good thing is they talk about not clicking on a link in an email and entering any personal information, especially your password. This was my main complaint from three years ago.

I have been critical of Verizon’s security in the past and now I want to highlight the change for the good. Congratulations, Verizon. I don’t care why you changed your emails, I’m just glad you did.

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