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qqPlease
join:2012-10-26

qqPlease

Member

Medialink Router and Privacy Concerns

Hi,

Weird but serious question...

Can my new "SHENZHEN TENDA TECHNOLOGY" manufactured, Medialink router compromise my privacy by redirecting my internet traffic to unknown global locations or open a port to allow access to my network? Model Number: MWN-WAPR150N

With all the talk about China and network privacy, I'm a little concerned. My current router does log “attacks” from Chinese locations quite regularly.

On the same topic, are there North American router "manufactures" that don't manufacture their routers in China and whose firmware is developed in North America?

Thanks

Anav
Sarcastic Llama? Naw, Just Acerbic
Premium Member
join:2001-07-16
Dartmouth, NS

Anav

Premium Member

said by qqPlease:

Hi,

Weird but serious question...

Can my new "SHENZHEN TENDA TECHNOLOGY" manufactured, Medialink router compromise my privacy by redirecting my internet traffic to unknown global locations or open a port to allow access to my network? Model Number: MWN-WAPR150N

With all the talk about China and network privacy, I'm a little concerned. My current router does log “attacks” from Chinese locations quite regularly.

On the same topic, are there North American router "manufactures" that don't manufacture their routers in China and whose firmware is developed in North America?

Thanks

Yeah, whats with the Chinese reading your traffic after the CIA reads it. I would go for the Patriot router line, and their consumer model, J.E.Hoover, - built by a company owned by Dick Chaney, it will send any foreign bound traffic directly to the CIA for vetting (which includes blocking china), and will send domestic traffic to the FBI (which includes blocking traffic to known democrats and/or affiliated destinations).
qqPlease
join:2012-10-26

qqPlease

Member

So is there any protection by choosing a certain router and\or firmware?

I don't know much about the technology, but my guess is that the hardware (chips, memory, etc) is mostly the same between routers, but the firmware is where the privacy concerns may lie.

Who's to say that the firmware doesn't have built in code to share or propagate data.

Da Geek Kid
join:2003-10-11
::1

Da Geek Kid to qqPlease

Member

to qqPlease
Is this like "My TiVO thinks I am Gay." ????

So let's say they look at your privacy info and think you watch a little more than normal Pr0n...

if you are extremely paranoid, buy another device and shred that one, right?

Anav
Sarcastic Llama? Naw, Just Acerbic
Premium Member
join:2001-07-16
Dartmouth, NS

Anav to qqPlease

Premium Member

to qqPlease
If you consider that there are fake parts found all the time for civilian and military aircraft, cisco routers that have been either faked outright or parts used that are not geniune, I dont think one has any hope in hell that there is no protection for consumer grade stuff.

Just hope to god your kids marry into chinese blood lines and we will all be one big happy family one day. Me, Ive started practicin using chop sticks and boning up on my broken pidgin english. I just hope they dont export their their environmental pollution and workplace safety standards......

Im just curious as to whats easier for a Chinese person (yours and my bosses soon) to learn to say.
a. just ask chairman Mao OR
b. just axe chairman Mao

Brano
I hate Vogons
MVM
join:2002-06-25
Burlington, ON
(Software) OPNsense
Ubiquiti UniFi UAP-AC-PRO
Ubiquiti NanoBeam M5 16

Brano to qqPlease

MVM

to qqPlease
Speaking theoretically now, you can't be ever sure. If somebody would place a back door (redirector) into a chip (CPU) you won't ever find out or it would require significant effort. That's one of the concerns and buzz about Huawei.
I highly doubt it that some malicious code exists on consumer chips (but it's not impossible). Are there any consumer routers not made in China or not made with components made in China? ...if you find one let me know.

Back to reality, if you want feel better about your router put some open source firmware on it (assuming your router is compatible) like dd-wrt, open-wrt, tomato or others. There you have chance to inspect the code and compile it yourself (which still doesn't protect you about malicious code embedded on chip).

Clear as a mud?
HELLFIRE
MVM
join:2009-11-25

HELLFIRE to qqPlease

MVM

to qqPlease
I'll save the conspiracy theory stuff for the other people in the thread.
said by qqPlease:

On the same topic, are there North American router "manufactures" that don't manufacture their routers in China and whose firmware is developed in North America?

To quote a certain American movie, "American components, Russian components, all made in TAIWAN!"

End Of Discussion.

Regards