Vent: Found out my "secure" home router was broadcasting my kids' device names for anyone to see

I was just poking around WiGLE.net last night and spotted our home network with every phone and tablet listed by name - didn't realize that was public until a neighbor mentioned he saw "Sarah's iPad" pop up. Has anyone else checked what their router is leaking to the whole block?

3 comments

3 Comments

wadeyoung2d ago

I think holly47's point about it being just metadata misses how that metadata can stack up. Most people don't realize that at the very least, someone can see when your kids' devices are home because the names show up and disappear at certain times. That tells someone your daily schedule, when the house is empty, and when the kids are home alone. It's not about some hacker specifically targeting "Sarah's iPad" - it's about strangers being able to piece together your family's routines from a free website. You might as well hang a sign in your front yard listing when everyone's asleep.

holly472d ago

Look, 90% of routers ship with SSID broadcast on and default device names like "iPhone" or "Samsung Galaxy". Yeah, you can change that stuff in the settings but honestly most people never bother and nothing bad happens. I've been on WiGLE plenty of times and see the same thing with my own network - my "Living Room TV" is right there for anyone to see. It's just metadata, not like someone's breaking into your house because they know Sarah has an iPad. Unless you're living next to a hacker who really hates kids with tablets, this is more about your own comfort level than actual risk.

holly472d ago

I see where you're coming from, but I gotta push back a little on this one. Just because nothing bad has happened yet doesn't mean it's totally harmless. Metadata adds up fast, and someone who knows what they're doing can use it to figure out stuff like when you're home or what devices you're running. Plus, if your network name is "Living Room TV" it makes it way easier for someone to target your TV specifically if it has a known security flaw. It's a small thing that probably won't matter to most people, but it feels like closing your front door even when you live in a safe neighborhood. Doesn't cost you anything and takes two seconds, so why not do it?