TCI@home and cable modems in general: still more follow-ups

Continuing our discussion of this popular topic of cable modems (see item from last time):

Routers a no-no Several readers noted that the use of router software (such as IPNetRouter or Vicom Internet Gateway), to allow more than one computer to share the same IP address, is forbidden by the TCI@home contract. One reader claims that TCI threatened to terminate his service when they found he was doing this.

Update: Eric Shepherd states that in some cases (such as Fremont, CA - where he lives), TCI has changed its mind and no longer prohibits the use of routers or servers. It simply will not give you no technical support regarding their use nor will they take responsibility for any problems that might result.

Security redux Although we continue to stress that the security risks of using a cable modem on a Mac are minimal, two readers described experiences that gave us pause. In both cases, the readers discovered they had access to other computers on the cable network (or vice versa). One reader was able to print to printers and access hard drives from users unknown to them. A misconfiguration of the router was also causing IP conflicts. While the IP conflicts were fixed by the cable company, his ability to access other users' computers and printers continues. In the second case, the user found that a Mac he had set up as a router/server for his local network was now serving over 50 other computers on the cable network (a PC was hooked up to the local network, which may have played a significant role in this leak). As we have stated before, getting an Ethernet card and placing the cable modem and your network on separate Ethernet ports should eliminate any possible risk.