Comcast had made an important announcement about a new AI-powered service that is meant to monitor, block and inform customers about online threats connected to home networks. The service is called xFinity xFi Advanced Security, and its main purpose is to protect users from malware attacks and intruders.
Comcast has pointed out that there will be more than 13 connected devices per person in North America only, as estimated by Cisco researchers. The issue is that the majority of users neither have the knowledge nor the tools to secure their devices, especially in cases when these devices don’t have keyboards or screens.
There are already a number of dangerous attacks targeting IoT devices and enslaving them in botnet operations. Let’s take [wplinkpreview url=”https://sensorstechforum.com/bcmupnp_hunter-botnet-iot/”]the BCMUPnP_Hunter botnet which is specifically targeted against IoT devices. The botnet exploits a five-year old vulnerability which appears to be left unpatched by many devices and vendors. The botnet has infected about 100,000 IoT devices since its launch.
Comcast’s xFi Advanced Security Service Should Protect Consumers’ Devices
The xFi Advanced Security service is expected to protect against malicious attacks:
xFi Advanced Security was developed to protect devices in this new hyper-connected reality. It uses AI and machine learning technology to monitor and analyze Wi-Fi traffic in the home, and will automatically block identified suspicious activity in real time.
The service utilizes a simple, intuitive user interface to inform customers of blocked threats, and when necessary, provides instructions on how to further secure affected devices, the company added in their announcement. The user-friendly service doesn’t require any setup, and is activated once the user turns it on.
This means that “protection is automatically extended to any device that is connected to the home network wirelessly or by ethernet”, as explained by Comcast. Users are also able to review a list of actions related to security using the xFi dashboard which is accessible from the mobile app and online.
Milena Dimitrova
An inspired writer and content manager who has been with SensorsTechForum since the project started. A professional with 10+ years of experience in creating engaging content. Focused on user privacy and malware development, she strongly believes in a world where cybersecurity plays a central role. If common sense makes no sense, she will be there to take notes. Those notes may later turn into articles! Follow Milena @Milenyim
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