BEC Fiber Alerts Customers of News of Malware

BEC Fiber is alerting its customers concerning the recent news of malicious software (malware) attacks on certain consumer grade routers. At least 500,000 small office/home office (SOHO) router devices in at least 54 countries could be infected by a sophisticated and potentially destructive malware known as “VPNFilter,” according to news outlets and Cisco’s cyber-intelligence unite Talos.
 
The potential threat from this malware is severe enough that the FBI is urging small businesses and households in the US to immediately reboot routers to protect against it.
 
BEC access vendor partner, Calix, said that no Calix products have been observed to be infected by the VPNFilter malware. Calix is conducting investigations of products that could potentially be affected by VPNFilter, and indications are that none of our GigaFamily or P-Series router products have been impacted at this time.
 
However, risks to all premises router products depend on how customers handle default firewall settings and default passwords.
 
To best protect Calix premises products against malicious threats, Calix advised using the following security best practices:
  • Use BEC Fiber default Firewall settings, including:
    • Security Level = High Security
    • Stealth Mode = Enabled
  • Disable remote management and utilize extra caution if opening firewall ports, especially for remote management (such as port 8080).
  • Always upgrade to the latest firmware, as firmware updates include important security fixes and updates. (Note: Upgrading firmware is taken care of by BEC Fiber staff.)
 
About BEC
Established in 1938, Bandera Electric Cooperative (BEC) is member-owned and provides highly reliable electric services, including renewable energy, in all or parts of Bandera, Bexar, Kendall, Kerr, Medina, Real and Uvalde Counties. BEC Solar operates in Central and South Texas and offers customizable solar installations, arrays, maintenance, and energy management through Apolloware©. BEC Solar is one of four Tesla Powerwall Certified Installers in Texas. BEC Fiber broadband provides speeds up to 1GB to residential and business customers. For more information, visit BanderaElectric.com or call (866) 226-3372.

Posted Friday, June 1, 2018