The practices described in this document can improve residential network
manageability and consumer security awareness, but they can also
concentrate sensitive information into one artifact.¶
A residential network map can help an administrator identify devices
that may affect privacy or security, including devices that collect
video, audio, location, usage, occupancy, or behavioral data. It can
also help identify devices that rely on remote access, vendor cloud
services, or unclear connectivity patterns.¶
This document does not attempt to define where each device sends data or
whether a device's data handling is acceptable. Instead, it provides a
simple structure that can help consumers notice which classes of devices
exist on the network and which devices deserve further review.¶
If an attacker obtains a completed residential network map, the attacker
may gain insight into device roles, management interfaces, internal
addressing, device manufacturers, device trust posture, device exposure
posture, and possible privacy-sensitive device categories.¶
Administrators MUST NOT store plaintext passwords in the map.¶
Administrators SHOULD restrict access to completed maps.¶
Administrators SHOULD avoid sharing maps that contain real MAC
addresses, host names, device locations, or other sensitive operational
details unless sharing is necessary and appropriately controlled.¶
Administrators SHOULD review Unknown devices, devices marked Internet
Exposed, and devices marked Remote Access.¶
Administrators SHOULD pay particular attention to IoT and Surveillance
devices because these devices may collect or transmit household data
that users do not routinely inspect.¶
Administrators SHOULD update the map after meaningful network changes.¶
Security considerations for protocol design are discussed more
generally in [RFC3552]. Although this document does not define a
protocol, the same general discipline applies: operational guidance
should identify risks and mitigations clearly.¶