A recent report has revealed that many consumers with BT Broadband could be in danger of risking their security due to a flaw with the Home Hub wireless network systems.

A recent report has highlighted how many customers that have BT broadband could be risking their personal data and security because of a flaw with the Home Hub wireless network systems that have been installed by the communications giant. It is thought that most of the four and a half million BT broadband customers that have WiFi boxes could be at risk of security breaches, and only those with the latest versions of the system are safe.

Officials have expressed concern that British Telecom has been aware of the issue for some months now but has failed to contact affected customers to advise them of either the risks or the simple solution to deal with the problem. Recently industry experts showed that by using a free computer program they were easily able to hack into household networks without needing to know the password – something that took the experts just five minutes.

Of course, this means that consumers could find themselves being hacked by fraudsters who are looking to obtain personal details from their computers. Officials from BT stated: ‘We are aware of this problem, though we don’t believe that any customers have been affected. It’s important to realise that, though it has been possible to demonstrate a scenario where the hub may be vulnerable, we don’t believe it is something that should affect the majority of BT customers.’
One industry expert said: ‘In the jargon of the hackers, this is a simple exploit. Once in, a skilled hacker has the opportunity to take total control over systems, including planting software to steal passwords to bank accounts or capturing credit card details.’ He added: ‘I am sure there are people driving round the suburbs with laptops trying to do this today.’