German Government Launches Test Plan For Security Routers

In order to ensure that routers that individuals and small businesses purchase are safe, the Bundesamtes für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (BSI), part of the German Ministry of the Interior, today a comprehensive test plan ( pdf ) launched broadband routers.

The test plan, especially for Internet service providers and manufacturers intended, which describes a secure router to meet.In this way, potential buyers can more easily compare models in the field of security with each other. According to the BSI, the security of a router, an important factor when choosing a particular manufacturer or type. The German federal government has recently abolished the so-called router obligation. Thereby German internet users can choose yourself which soon modem and router that they want to use their broadband connection.

"Routers are a central part in the digitalization and networking. They are the heart of the home network, but protect at the same time against Internet threats. The abolition of the router obligation have internet August this this year more choice in choosing their router. users should make use of this by looking at the safety when choosing a router, "said Arne Schönbohm, head of the BSI.

In the test plan different parts are discussed, such as the presence of security measures. Thus, each router must sort the BSI have a firewall and there should be no default port forwarding enabled. In addition, made several recommendations, such as the presence of an automatic update feature. Furthermore, the test plan contains examples of common vulnerabilities and attack scenarios.