Comcast to give cybersecurity protection to Xfinity customers

AT CES 2020, Comcast has announced that it will include the new xFi Advanced Security, a feature that automatically protects devices from online threats, free for customers who lease an xFi gateway.  

New customers will receive Advanced Security immediately upon activating an xFi Gateway, and the feature will begin rolling out to 18 million existing eligible xFi customers over the coming weeks. It requires no software download or additional set-up other than logging into xFi via the mobile app or online, making it simple and easy to protect wired and WiFi connected devices in the home; including smart TVs or thermostats, or devices without keyboards or screens like security cameras or smart speakers.

“We want you to have the peace of mind to know that in just a few minutes all the devices you connect in the home, and the people that use them, are safe and secured,” Dana Strong, President of Xfinity Consumer Services, said in a statement. “Our customers asked for a better way to stream content and we answered with Xfinity Flex for free. Now, we’re giving them the protection they asked for with Advanced Security. That’s an incredible amount of value for our internet customers, and we’re just getting started.”

Key features include: 

• A daily list of digital security-related actions that were taken each day.
• Preventing inadvertent visits to malicious sites and becoming a victim of phishing attacks.
• Blocking remote access to smart devices from unknown/dangerous sources.
• Monitoring of devices in real-time and delivering alerts when devices are behaving in unusual ways that could indicate a network threat.
• The ability to adapt to the home network and get smarter to keep up with new threats over time.

Advanced Security, initially launched in January 2019 as an optional $5.99 upgrade, was developed based on customer feedback requesting a way to protect IoT devices in the smart home era. It uses AI and machine learning technology to monitor and analyze WiFi traffic in the home, and automatically blocks identified suspicious activity in real time.