Last week, a number of Cisco customers began reporting problems with three specific Linksys-branded routers. When owners of the E2700, E3500, or E4500 attempted to log in to their devices, they were asked to login/register using their “Cisco Connect Cloud” account information. The story that’s emerged from this unexpected “upgrade” is a perfect example of how buzzword fixation can lead to extremely poor decisions.

According to Cisco, the Connect Cloud gives users “anytime, anywhere” access to their router, delivers free, new apps, and “will keep expanding with new apps to enrich your connected lifestyle.” The E2700, E3500, and E4500 all shipped with the “Automatic Firmware Update” option selected, which is why so many users found themselves asked to authenticate using a different account with no prior warning. Unplugging the router from the wall restored the old login/password function, but only offered a simplified menu structure that removed or obfuscated control of a number of advanced functions.

The second major problem with Cisco’s Cloud Connect is its “supplemental privacy policy.” This policy is an addition to Cisco’s Privacy Statement. As of June 27, the fifth paragraph read as follows:

When you use the Service, we may keep track of certain information related to your use of the Service, including but not limited to the status and health of your network and networked products; which apps relating to the Service you are using; which features you are using within the Service infrastructure; network traffic (e.g., megabytes per hour); internet history; how frequently you encounter errors on the Service system and other related information (“Other Information”).

This paragraph has been excised entirely from the current version of the Supplemental Privacy Policy, but that proves nothing — Cisco has the right to update its privacy policy at any time, without legal penalty. Both versions of the document contain a further statement that may raise a few eyebrows. The next-to-last sentence reads: “In some cases, in order to provide an optimal experience on your home network, some updates may still be automatically applied, regardless of the auto-update setting.”

In a plot twist that could’ve been predicted by an eight-year old, users were enraged at having their routers stealth-updated, angry at being forced to register for a cloud service that provides no benefit whatsoever, concerned about privacy implications of the original Privacy Supplement, and unhappy at being initially told that there would be no way to roll back to the earlier firmware. Cisco has since retracted this and has provided a public link to the old firmware and a detailed guide on updating the router.

Next page: Steps you don’t want and apps you don’t need…