Yup, this is awful press especially as it was completely preventable! (1) Make sure you get compatible hardware and (2) *never* use unencrypted network services
The only valid purpose of FTP is for anonymous file access. Similarly, the only valid purpose of telnet is as a network testing tool. (i.e., telnet host1.whatver.com 443) Anyone still using FTP with user/pass authentication needs to be dragged out behing a building and beaten with a lead pipe.