Learn How To Secure A Home Network
As modern times evolved, so have our online needs. The increased advancements in technology have arisen numerous complications. Home Network Security is a concern to keep away from hackers who are always searching for vulnerable and unprotected networks. Start securing your network by first changing the SSID, which makes it harder for the bad guys to identify your router.
How to secure a Home Network?
When it comes to home network security, there are two issues you need to deal with.
Firstly, you need to control who can get on your network. So next time you have visitors over, try to limit sharing the password unnecessarily.
The second problem is the signal footprint. If people outside your home can pick up a signal from your router and know the password, they can steal all your data and reap all saved passwords.
Therefore, you can take the following safety precautions:
Change your SSID
Every network is identified by a name called SSID. Since router manufacturers produce the same settings for every item, one product line that they provide and often install the same administration software, that makes life quite easy for hackers.
Therefore, make sure you change the SSID so that it doesn’t give away the router brand or model number. Things to be careful off are not to include your name, address, or telephone number, do not use personal information in the title or provoke hackers with challenges. Just keep it bland.
Change your default admin credentials
The console of the router can be easily accessed through any device connected to the network. Most manufacturers set up the administrator accounts on routers with the same username and password in that product line.
Once they hack into your console, it will grant them control over the network configuration that will give them access to changing the password and lock you out of your network. Therefore, change the password of the admin account to a random combination of letters and numbers of up to 12 characters long.
Use strong passwords
When you are living with family and have friends and visitors coming over all the time, it can become challenging to say no to sharing passwords all the time.
Therefore, make sure the password is complicated and hard enough that makes it harder for people to share it. Make your password a random sequence of letters, numbers, and special characters with a combination of uppercase and lowercase. This makes it difficult for people to remember the right order even if they remember the combination.
Disable remote access
The console of the router, which is the central part, should only be accessible from devices connected to the network. But the routers come with a setting that enables remote access, which means anyone can access the console over the internet from another location. Therefore, make sure that the option is turned off.
Keep your software updated
In general, the router’s manufacturer should update the firmware on your gateway automatically. However, how you should monthly change the Wi-Fi password, you should also regularly check for updates.
Once you make it a habit, even if there are updates that haven’t been installed, you will be able to review and update regularly yourself.
Enable guest features
If your router has a guest feature, make sure to have your visitors use it. A guest network lets visitors access your Internet connection without providing them your Wi-Fi password while also limiting accessible network information.
Get a Network Firewall
Usually, every Wi-Fi router comes with a built-in firewall. The likely chances are that you haven’t turned it on. Browse through the console settings to see if you can find it, and once you do, turn that on.
Strengthen Wi-Fi encryption
There are free tools available on the internet that hack easily hack into weak Wi-Fi encryptions, which will allow the attacker to intercept, see, and modify your online activity.
Every Wi-Fi comes with three types of protection systems: Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), and Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA 2). Of all these, WPA 2 is the one you should use.
But that solely is not as secure as WPA2 AES. This version uses the AES cipher to protect transmissions, and the encryption method is impossible to crack.
*Note: Not all devices support WPA2 as it is not widely available. In that case, you may use a VPN for WiFi which gives your connection an added layer of encryption.
What is a home network?
Home Network is a group of devices (such as a computer, gaming system, printers, and mobile devices) that are connected to the internet and each other.
It can be connected in two ways: A wired network that is used to connect printers and scanners or a wireless network that connects devices like tablets and mobiles without wires.
Why secure a Home Network?
In the case of a wired network, it is quite difficult for anyone to hack into your system. But in modern times today, everyone uses Wi-Fi to connect all their devices to the internet.
Often when people come over, they ask for a password to access your Wi-Fi. Eventually, people know your password and use it to connect to your Wi-Fi router whenever they are nearby since, unlike physical networks, Wi-Fi systems can extend beyond the walls on your home.
Once the password for access gets out in the world, it isn’t straightforward to control who can access your home network. Even if someone does not know your Wi-Fi password but knows you well enough, they can hack into the system and override your password, again giving access to all the devices connect to that Wi-Fi.
Once they are in, hackers can use it to spy on you via the internet, use your browser history to steal your credit card details, trick you into installing harmful malware-laced software or even redirect you to unwanted pages for your credentials.