Open Letter to D-Link about their NTP vandalism

Tue Apr 11 17:07:53 UTC 2006

As I replied in a comment offline, auto updating firmware is nothing new.. 
my cellphone updates itself, as does my satellite receiver, and many other 
devices as well, (the best of which, perform these tasks without our notice 
or appreciation).
There is of course the potential for a bug causing some unforeseen 
catastrophy, but much of the risk could be mitigated with a bit of planning 
and a well designed system, (ex. old image is stored, and boot failure loads 
that image.. image is first downloaded, test md5, then flashed etc).
Servers have been using these technologies for quite a while now, all tested 
and true.
Also, one would expect the vendors to release updates only when necessary, 
with some serious QA before a release, (but if they did that in the first 
place, we wouldn't be having this discussion ;o)
Just a thought.

John

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steven M. Bellovin" <smb at cs.columbia.edu>
To: "John Underhill" <stepnwlf at magma.ca>
Cc: <simon at darkmere.gen.nz>; <nanog at nanog.org>; <mike at sentex.net>
Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 12:24 PM
Subject: Re: Open Letter to D-Link about their NTP vandalism

> On Tue, 11 Apr 2006 10:28:32 -0400, "John Underhill" <stepnwlf at magma.ca>
> wrote:
>
>>
>> It seems to me, that the only *real* solution is for these manufacturers 
>> to
>> implement a [responsible] strategy of automatic firmware upgrades, as it
>> pertains to these (simple eu type) devices.
>> How difficult would it be to have the router test a server periodically,
>> (say once a month), and in the case of a critical flaw in the software,
>> silently update the device?
>> I suspect it is cost/benefit skepticism that is keeping them from doing 
>> just
>> that.
>>
> It would be a disaster.  My (cable modem) ISP does that to my cable
> modem/NAT box.  A few months ago, a buggy update made the NAT part drop
> all connections after 30 minutes.  It took me a week or so to get enough
> data to nail down the problem precisely.  I then had the fun of trying to
> get through the phone droids to reach someone who understood what "NAT"
> or "TCP" meant.  What unusual combination of features will random upgrades
> break?
>
> By the way, since we're talking about D-Link, it's instructive to read the
> warnings on their firmware update pages.
>
> Do NOT upgrade firmware on any D-Link product over a wireless
> connection. Failure of the device may result. Use only hard-wired
> network connections.
>
> This firmware is engineered for US products only.
> Using this firmware on a device outside of the United States will
> void your warranty and may render the device unusable.
>
> Other warnings I've seen include warnings that all configuration options
> will be reset, version incompatibilities, and the suggestion that one
> should connect to a UPS before doing the upgrade, just in case.  (Hmm --
> there's a vicious thunderstorm approaching, and the lights are
> flickering.  And it's time for the monthly autoupgrade!)
>
>
> --Steven M. Bellovin, http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~smb 