Hopefully, your ISP is using TR-069[1] to update your router. It's not perfect but it's not as bad as you might imagine. The router polls for updates and initia

Hopefully, your ISP is using TR-069[1] to update your router. It's not perfect but it's not as bad as you might imagine. The router polls for updates and initiates a connection to the ISPs configuration server. The servers are usually part of your ISP's infrastructure, not a third-party service on the public Internet. I've seen TR-069 used very effectively to manage VOIP hardware (a lucrative target for hackers) however I was told that routers are more difficult. The bottom line is, if you don't trust your ISP to update your router firmware, buy a different router. As others have said OpenWRT is awesome. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TR-069#Security_and_authentication http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TR-069#Security_and_authenticat...