D-Link

D-Link Corporation is a Taiwanese multinational networking equipment manufacturing corporation headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. It was founded in March 1986 in Taipei as ''Datex Systems Inc.''

History

D-Link Corporation changed its name from Datex Systems Inc. in 1994, when it went public and when it became the first networking company on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. It is now publicly traded on the TSEC and NSE stock exchanges.

In 1988, Datex Systems Inc. released the industry's first peer-to-peer LANSmart Network Operating System, able to run concurrently with early networking systems such as Novell's NetWare and TCP/IP which most small network operating systems could not do at the time.

In 2007, it was the leading networking company in the small to medium business (SMB) segment worldwide with 21.9% market share.Compiled from In-Stat Q1 2007 ''Wireless LAN Equipment Market Share Report'' In March 2008, it became the market leader in Wi-Fi product shipments worldwide, with 33% of the total market.In-Stat Q4/07 ''WLAN Market Share Report'' In 2007, the company was featured in the "Info Tech 100", a listing of the world's best IT companies. It was also ranked as the 9th best IT company in the world for shareholder returns by ''BusinessWeek''. In the same year, D-Link was released one of the first WiFiCertified802.11n draft 2.0 Wi-Fi router (DIR-655), which subsequently became one of the most successful draft 802.11n routers.

In May 2013, D-Link released its flagship draft 802.11ac Wireless AC1750 Dual-Band Router (DIR-868L), which at that point had attained the fastest ever wireless throughput as tested by blogger Tim Higgins.

In April 2019, D-Link was named "Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice for Wired and Wireless LAN Access Infrastructure".

Products and services/solutions

D-Link's products are geared towards the networking and communications market. Its business products include switches, surveillance network cameras, firewalls, iSCSI SANs and business wireless, while consumer products cover consumer wireless devices, broadband devices, and the Digital Home devices (which include media players, storage, and surveillance camera/NVR).

Examples of D-Link products

File:D-Link DIR-895L.jpg, AC5300 MU-MIMO Ultra Wi-Fi Router
File:D-Link DWA-192.jpg, AC1900 Wi-Fi USB 3.0 Adapter
File:D-Link DSP-W215.jpg, mydlink Home Smart Plug
File:D-Link DCS-5010L.jpg, mydlink Home Monitor 360

Awards and recognition

*2020 CES Innovation Award
**DWP-1020 5G NR Outdoor Unit
**DWR-2101 5G Wi-Fi 6 Mobile Hotspot
*2020 iF Design Award
**DCS-8526LH Full HD Pan & Tilt Pro Wi-Fi Camera
*2020 iOT Breakthrough Award
**COVR-1902 AC1900 Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi System
*2020 Taiwan Excellence Award
**DWR-2010 5G NR enhanced Gateway
*2019 CES Innovation Award
**DWR-2010 5G NR Enhanced Gateway
*2019 Taiwan Excellence Award
**DCS-8650LH
**DWR-976
**DIR-2680
**DIR-3060
**COVR-C1203
**COVR-2202
**DCS-1820LM
**DCH-G601W

Media reviews and awards

* D-Link DCS-9500T received the 2020 Editor's Choice Award from Technology Reseller
* D-Link Nuclias Won Best Remote Connectivity Solutions at the 2020 Transformational Leadership Awards by Tahawultech
* DCS-8630LH: “What I really liked about this D-Link outdoor camera was the ease of use… If you value peace of mind, this camera is for you.” (Canada Best Buy)
* COVR-C1203: “D-Link's Covr Dual Band Whole Home Wi-Fi System is stylish, simple to install, and delivers solid throughput speeds.” (U.S. PCMag)

Controversies

In January 2010, it was reported that HNAP vulnerabilities had been found on some D-Link routers. D-Link was also criticized for their response which was deemed confusing as to which models were affected and downplayed the seriousness of the risk. However the company issued fixes for these router vulnerabilities soon after.

In January 2013, version v1.13 for the DIR-100 revA was reported to include a backdoor in the firmware. By passing a specific user agent in an HTTP request to the router, normal authentication is bypassed. It was reported that this backdoor had been present for some time. This backdoor however was closed soon after with a security patch issued by the company.

Computerworld reported in January 2015 that ZynOS, a firmware used by some D-Link routers (as well as ZTE, TP-Link, and others), are vulnerable to DNS hijacking by an unauthenticated remote attacker, specifically when remote management is enabled. Affected models had already been phased out by the time the vulnerability was discovered and the company also issued a firmware patch for affected devices for those still using older hardware.

Later in 2015, it was reported that D-Link leaked the private keys used to sign firmware updates for the DCS-5020L security camera and a variety of other D-Link products. The key expired in September 2015, but had been published online for seven months. The initial investigation did not produce any evidence that the certificates were abused.

Also in 2015, D-Link was criticized for more HNAP vulnerabilities, and worse, introducing new vulnerabilities in their "fixed" firmware updates.

On 5 January 2017, the Federal Trade Commission sued D-Link for failing to take reasonable steps to secure their routers and IP cameras. As D-Link marketing was misleading customers into believing their products were secure. The complaint also says security gaps could allow hackers to watch and record people on their D-Link cameras without their knowledge, target them for theft, or record private conversations. D-Link has denied these accusations and has enlisted Cause of Action Institute to file a motion against the FTC for their "baseless" charges. On 2 July 2019, the case was settled with D-Link not found to be liable for any of the alleged violations. D-Link agreed to continue to make security enhancements in its software security program and software development, with biennial, independent, third-party assessments, approved by the FTC.

On January 18, 2021, Sven Krewitt, researcher at Risk Based Security, discovered multiple pre-authentication vulnerabilities in D-Link's DAP-2020 Wireless N Access Point product. D-Link confirmed these vulnerabilities in a support announcement and provided a patch to hot-fix the product's firmware.

Server misuse

In 2006, D-Link was accused of NTP vandalism, when it was found that its routers were sending time requests to a small NTP server in Denmark, incurring thousands of dollars of costs to its operator. D-Link initially refused to accept responsibility. Later, D-link products were found also to be abusing other time servers, including some operated by the US military and NASA. However, no malicious intent was discovered, and eventually D-Link and the sites owner Poul-Henning Kamp were able to agree to an amicable settlement regarding access to Kamp's GPS.Dix.dk NTP Time Server site, with existing products gaining authorized access to Kamp's server.

GPL violation

On 6 September 2006, the gpl-violations.org project prevailed in court litigation against D-Link Germany GmbH regarding D-Link's inappropriate and copyright infringing use of parts of the Linux kernel. D-Link Germany GmbH was ordered to pay plaintiff's costs. Following the judgement, D-Link agreed to a cease and desist request, ending distribution of the product, and paying legal costs.

See also

* List of companies of Taiwan

References

Notes

Citations

External links

*

{{Electronics industry in Taiwan

Taiwanese companies established in 1986
Companies based in Taipei
1994 initial public offerings
Companies listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange
Electronics companies of Taiwan
Multinational companies headquartered in Taiwan
Networking companies
Networking hardware
Networking hardware companies
Routers (computing)
Taiwanese brands
Telecommunications equipment vendors