You probably don’t give much thought to your WiFi network. You may not even know what type of router you have, or if you have one at all. But before you start binge-watching Netflix, you might want to think about how safe your connection actually is.
After all, hackers are getting smarter and more sophisticated by the day—and they know it only takes a few seconds to steal your passwords, personal information, and even credit card numbers.
What Makes up a WiFi Network
To answer this question, it’s important to know what makes up a wifi network and what security measures are in place. One of the first things to keep in mind is that there are two types of networks: public and private.
A public network could be at a coffee shop or hotel, while a private network would be at home or work. Public networks should always have some sort of password protection, but many people forget to turn on their wireless router when they’re home or work which leaves them vulnerable to hackers.
Private networks are safer because they require passwords which can only be accessed by those who know the password such as family members or co-workers.
Avoid Common Mistakes
Most people have heard about the dangers of public WiFi and how it can leave you open to hacking, but did you know that your home WiFi can also be at risk? If you have a wireless router that’s still in use, it’s possible that it could be an open door for hackers looking to steal information or take over your network. To make sure your wireless network is secure, follow these steps:
- Remove any old wireless networks from your device
- Change the password on your wireless router if you haven’t already done so
- Disable WPS (if available)
- Turn off UPnP on the router if you haven’t already done so
Don’t Rely on Security Through Obscurity
Security through obscurity, or keeping information a secret, usually doesn’t work for long because the more people who know about it, the more likely it will leak. For example, WEP and WPA2-PSK are encryption standards that have been broken within minutes of their release.
These security methods were flawed from their conception and could not withstand modern hacking techniques, but they were still used by many companies due to their availability and ease of use.
One way to improve your WiFi security is to use two-factor authentication (2FA). This means that even if someone knows your password, they can’t get in without also having access to your phone or other device with a 2FA code on it.
What are the basic things I can Do to Protect My Wireless Network?
- Install password
Install a password on your wireless network so that it will only accept connections from devices that you know and trust. This will protect you against anyone connecting to your home network without permission.
If someone manages to get onto your network, they could snoop around and get information about you and the people who live there, or they could do something worse like take control of your computer’s webcam and see what’s going on in your home while you are away!
Setting up a password-protected Wi-Fi account also has the added benefit of stopping neighbours or passers-by from using up all of your data plan by connecting to Wi-Fi without realizing what they are doing.
- Use a VPN
A virtual private network (VPN) encrypts all of your Internet traffic and routes it through a server, meaning that your Internet service provider (ISP) cannot track what you do online. This makes it much more difficult for someone to use a website like Facebook or Twitter to snoop on you—all they see is encrypted data leaving your computer, but nothing else.
- Use strong passwords
While you are setting up a password on your Wi-Fi, you should also create strong passwords for all of your online accounts—and update them regularly too!
Conclusion
To sum up, always remember these tips to protect your WiFi: Always use strong passwords; Update your firmware and devices; Disable remote management or file sharing on your network; and Use encryption for any shared connections, such as a VPN or an encrypted browser or email service.
With that, we’ll bring this article to a close. Hope you had a good read.