ICSA Labs Develops Security Check for Broadband Home Routers

Hackers are increasingly targeting home routers as a means of gaining access to sensitive personal data.  To help combat this threat, ICSA Labs, an independent division of Verizon Business, is offering a new program under which manufacturers can have broadband home routers certified. 

The program, Broadband Home Router Certification, evaluates a router's effectiveness in identifying safe versus harmful data, and denying access to malicious data.  Certified routers can offer consumers a high level of security assurance for broadband home routers, which are generally used to connect computers on a home network to the Internet.

"While attacks targeted at routers are not a new threat, we are seeing an increase in attacks against home routers," said Brian Monkman, technology programs manager, ICSA Labs.  "The threat is exacerbated by the fact that these routers are designed to be plug-and-play.  Usually, a consumer buys a home router and configures it quickly and easily, while assuming the router has the appropriate security safeguards in place, which unfortunately is not always the case."

The router certification program augments ICSA Labs' network firewall program, which was established in 1995 and evaluates the effectiveness and security measures of network firewalls. 

Companies that earn the broadband home router certification for their products will also have the opportunity to join the Firewall Product Developers' Consortium, an international group dedicated to identifying and improving security problems through the advancement of firewall technology.

Added Monkman, "Only products that pass our rigorous testing process will be awarded the ICSA Labs' Broadband Home Router Certification.  Consumers purchasing or using a certified router can rest assured that it has been security tested by a respected third party and offers strong security measures."

For more information on ICSA Labs' Broadband Router Certification program or to enter a product into the testing process, visit http://www.icsalabs.com/technology-program/contact-us.

About ICSA Labs
ICSA Labs, an independent division of Verizon Business, offers third-party testing and certification of security products and network-connected devices, such as printers and faxes, to measure product compliance, reliability and performance to many of the world's top security vendors. Visit http://www.icsalabs.com and http://www.icsalabs.com/blogs for more information. 

About Verizon Business
Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ), is a global leader in communications and IT solutions. We combine professional expertise with one of the world's most connected IP networks to deliver award-winning communications, IT, information security and network solutions. We securely connect today's extended enterprises of widespread and mobile customers, partners, suppliers and employees - enabling them to increase productivity and efficiency and help preserve the environment. Many of the world's largest businesses and governments - including 96 percent of the Fortune 1000 and thousands of government agencies and educational institutions - rely on our professional and managed services and network technologies to accelerate their business. Find out more at www.verizonbusiness.com.

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