Security questions

[adame]

I didn't pay attention to Sonic's Pace gateway when I helped a family member set it up several weeks ago. But AT&T's Pace gateways show the WiFi keys in the clear when you connect to the webserver and no authentication is required to display the Home page. That's just a bone-headed decision.

We agree that this isn't best practice. Our own modems don't do this.

[pockyken007]

Thanks everyone for the thoughtful and informative answers here.

Would it be worth considering a pfsense appliance? Would this be any better than the filtering that's already handled by the Pace modem? If we want to use a separate firewall appliance like pfsense, does that require setting the modem to bridge only mode, and if so, would that cause any other problems?

I have a lot more confidence in Sonic compared to other ISPs I've used, and it does seem like the out of the box security is very good here. I could possibly make things worse for myself by trying to introduce additional devices, but I am ultimately interested in learning how to get the most secure setup possible.

Well it depends , as a working IT professional I can tell you there is a fine line between usability and security ... what that means is that too much security will become a burden on your usability and vice versa .

The security should be as such that you feel that all necessary resources are protected after that point what you want to have is damage control and recovery protocols in place ( in case your wifi gets hacked what will you do stop it and what will you do recover / prevent future attacks in your case ) .

Hopefully you will be able to find a fine balance that matches your needs

[Guest]

Thanks everyone for the thoughtful and informative answers here.

Would it be worth considering a pfsense appliance? Would this be any better than the filtering that's already handled by the Pace modem? If we want to use a separate firewall appliance like pfsense, does that require setting the modem to bridge only mode, and if so, would that cause any other problems?

PFSense is another highly-configurable, Commercial grade, firewall which can be put into place. The PFSense appliance would receive an IP from the Sonic gateway and the devices on the other side could be on an entirely different IP scheme. (Double-NAT and Firewall scenario) This could introduce many issues in a simple home network environment.

="czep415"I have a lot more confidence in Sonic compared to other ISPs I've used, and it does seem like the out of the box security is very good here. I could possibly make things worse for myself by trying to introduce additional devices, but I am ultimately interested in learning how to get the most secure setup possible.

No system can ever be made totally secure. Especially when WIFI is available. Doing things like making sure your OS/web browser is up to date, having a current Anti-Virus/Malware remover, changing your password for sites you visit regularly, ensuring the padlock is visible and closed in your browser when doing financial transactions, verifying emails that look real don't have redirects in links to bad sites, all common sense things that we sometimes forget about can enhance your on-line security. Adding additional layers of protection can be done, but ultimately you have to decide when you feel secure.

Sorry for the long post. I hope you are able to feel better knowing you have done the right thing by asking these questions to the community and getting the answers you needed.

Cheers!
bulldog85043

[sfloyd1]

All of these comments are from 2016 - it is now 2022! What kind of security is provided with the Sonic Fiber wifi using the EERO device. I also want to know if anyone else has had issues with the EERO WIFI device?