The typical “home office” user accesses the internet via their wifi router and their Internet Service Provider (ISP) “cable modem”.  I guess I’ve always assumed that the cable modem had some kind of built in security and a firewall (device to keep bad internet traffic out).  Screenshot above – from a currently operating home office setup.  If one were to explain the connection to the internet, it looks something like this:

INTERNET > ISP cable modem > firewall > wifi router > computer

Surely the ISP would keep strange countries from scanning into your home office space, right?  Well, no.

Literally within minutes, there are Iranian and Russian-located addresses reaching past the ISP cable modem and being blocked by the firewall.  Russia and Iran. Without that firewall, how far does that traffic get?  It already got past the one professionally “managed” point of entry into the home. Without that firewall, how much further does it go?

I’m not selling anything here – in fact I don’t sell anything at all in my personal or professional life.  I’d just like you to be aware that your “cable modem” isn’t stopping traffic that comes from countries that are considered to be in cyber conflict with us.

If you work in a home office type of setup and don’t have a good managed firewall in place, make sure you keep ALL of your software up to date and turn your computer off when you’re not actively using it.