In a world where most of us work, communicate, play, explore, and make purchases online nearly every day, cybersecurity is more important than ever. Yet it’s also a world where it’s increasingly hard to know who to trust. Perhaps you’ve seen recent news reports that call into question the security practices of companies that you might rely on for the network for your home or small business. At ASUS, we’re working to show you that not every networking company has the same level of commitment to cybersecurity. Recently, we joined FIRST, a longstanding and renowned organization that brings together a variety of computer security incident response teams from around the world. Our membership in FIRST enables us to take enterprise-level experience, security protocols, and incident response tactics and integrate them into the consumer market.
35 years of coordinating responses against cyberattacks
When you’re the victim of a cyberattack, your priority is to re-secure your own hardware, data, and account access. But the incident response teams dedicated to cybersecurity have to take a larger view. What vulnerability made the cyberattack possible? What other systems could be affected? How quickly can a fix be deployed, and how might this fix affect other vital systems and functions?
Answering these questions in today’s connected world requires not just on-the-ground incident response teams, but international communication and coordination between these groups. Since 1990, this layer of coordination has been provided by FIRST — the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams. Consisting of members from government agencies, educational institutions, military divisions, and the private sector, FIRST works to ensure a safe internet for everyone by creating channels for incident response and security teams across the globe to work together.
Now, ASUS has joined FIRST — and our membership is a “first” in more ways than one. While networking companies including Cisco, Palo Alto, and Juniper have long been part of FIRST, reflecting their significant expertise and continued efforts in cybersecurity, it’s been relatively rare for companies that build home networking products to join FIRST. Out of all the companies that sell networking hardware directly to consumers, ASUS is one of very few with membership in FIRST.
ASUS sets a new standard of excellence in the home networking industry
Joining FIRST isn’t as simple as signing up for an email newsletter. To become a member of FIRST, organizations must undergo on-site evaluations and recommendations by two existing members, followed by review and approval by the FIRST Board of Directors. ASUS was recommended by DTTW-CSIRT (Deloitte Taiwan CSIRT) and TeamT5 CSIRT (TeamT5 Cyber Security Incident Response Team). After a rigorous assessment process, ASUS successfully joined FIRST, showcasing its exceptional capabilities in cybersecurity and earning international trust.
That level of effort and scrutiny perhaps explains why it’s not more common for home networking companies to be active participants in FIRST. But since ASUS is more than just a home networking company, we have direct experience with the value that FIRST provides. As a supplier of enterprise-grade networking hardware — not to mention our portfolio of servers, laptops, PC components, displays, peripherals, ASUS NUCs, and much more — we had already put in significant investment into applying robust security standards to our product development, support, and supply chain practices, even before joining FIRST.
As a member of FIRST, ASUS can do even more to bolster every aspect of our cybersecurity practices. When you purchase ASUS networking hardware, you’ll pull a more secure device out of the box. You’ll have more transparency into emerging vulnerabilities. And your device will have even faster access to the latest security fixes.
What ASUS joining FIRST means for home users and small business owners
All this might seem disconnected from your everyday digital life. When you’re streaming your favorite shows, playing Fortnite with your friends, meeting with coworkers through Microsoft Teams, or checking your bank account online, you’re almost certainly paying more attention to the speed and reliability of your internet connection than you are with its security.
Yet the truth is that cyber threats are unfortunately common. Both corporations and households can be the targets of malicious activities, and unprotected routers are a prime entry point for attackers. That’s why timely patching is critical. From zero-day exploits to ransomware, new types of threats can surface at any time. Quickly receiving the latest firmware updates and security advice is crucial to minimizing damage.
If maintaining a secure network can feel like a tall task for home users, it can feel especially burdensome for small business owners. A cyberattack can be devastating to the reputation of a small financial services office, for example, yet such businesses might not have the resources to keep dedicated network professionals on staff. Even business owners looking to do little more than run point-of-sale devices and provide a guest network to customers need to be mindful of network security to maintain customer satisfaction and limit liability.
Joining FIRST gives us quicker access to vital security information, which puts our company in a better position to extend real-time, transparent security protections to home users and small business alike. As a CVE Numbering Authority (CNA), we’re able to assign CVE identifiers to newly discovered cybersecurity vulnerabilities. The CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) system is a globally recognized method for identifying and tracking security vulnerabilities, enabling swift discussion and resolution in the cybersecurity community.
Here’s what that means for you:
- Accelerated Patch Deployment and Notifications. ASUS can promptly request CVE IDs and disclose information for vulnerabilities in its products. As a result, home and SMB router users receive firmware updates faster, reducing potential risks.
- Improved Transparency. In the past, users might have been unaware of potential vulnerabilities in their routers or other devices. Now, with ASUS as a CNA, security risks and patch methods will be publicly announced via official bulletins, empowering users to protect themselves.
- Comprehensive Protection. Home networks often include smart appliances and IoT devices — popular targets for cyberattacks. Official alerts and patch releases from ASUS help safeguard users against various threats, such as Wi-Fi exploits and phishing attacks.
Network security doesn’t need to be top of mind as you’re going about your daily browsing, work, and play. But it should be a high priority as you’re selecting the hardware that powers your digital life. Through our longstanding commitment to cybersecurity and our membership in FIRST, we’re able to give you more peace of mind as you build your network.
ASUS empowers you to build a network that’s secure from the ground up
For too long, too many home networking companies have treated cybersecurity as a secondary concern to network speed and coverage, locking their most robust security packages behind paid subscriptions and letting others place the active roles in incidence response.
Now, that’s changing. By joining FIRST and becoming a CNA, ASUS takes a significant stride onto the international cybersecurity stage, solidifying our security-first approach for both enterprise and consumer product lines. Through global threat intelligence sharing, CVE-based vulnerability management, and an efficient patching process, ASUS remains dedicated to bolstering comprehensive cybersecurity. This puts us in a position to help every user, from corporations to small businesses to private homes, defend themselves against a rapidly evolving digital threat landscape with a trusted, robust layer of protection.
Even before joining FIRST, ASUS set a high bar in the industry for network security. For years, we’ve offered robust, commercial-grade security to our users as a baseline, without requiring a subscription — and we’ve partnered with the most trusted names in the cybersecurity business to ensure automatic, timely updates that protect against the latest threats.
If you have concerns about the networking hardware that you’re currently using, or if it’s been a few years since you last upgraded your router, we recommend that you look at our latest solutions. Whether you’re looking for whole-home coverage from a mesh router, a gaming-first router ready to boost your competitiveness in online battlefields, or a business-ready networking solution, we have hardware the provides the speed, range, and security that you need.