Is
YOUR wireless network secure? In
other words, have you prepared your wireless
network for surfing the
internet without interference or interception of your wireless signal from thieves and hackers?
If
you bought a router, connected it, and started surfing;
by default your network is NOT secure. OR, if you
don’t have a router and you are using a broadband modem
from your internet service provider that transmits
a wireless signal (WiFi), chances are you aren’t secure
unless someone installed your internet modem and setup
the security “features.”
Nowadays,
it is more important to be protected on the internet
than ever before. Would
you believe that a hacker or snooper can now download
FREE software that will enable them to scan and find
your network, possibly “crack” your key (encryption) and
access your files and or steal important
information?
This article
will help prevent your network from being
compromised. If you don’t understand
anything listed below, feel free to email us for
assistance, and we will gladly help…free of
charge! Keep reading……
1.) Change the
default network name, and password on your router. (The default network/user
name is usually: “admin”)
2.) ALWAYS
use encryption, to secure your network. WPA
is preferred. (WEP= Wireless Encryption
Protocol / WPA= WiFi Protected Access ).
3.) Change your
password (key) every 30 days at least. “Strong”
passwords with a mix of alpha/numeric and symbols when
possible – 14 characters or more, are
recommended. An example of a strong
password is: “1mypasswordx90544z”
or how about:
“tektime1$@%%p0rt.” These passwords are harder to
guess using password cracking
software. (Do not create “easy to
remember” passwords. Such as passwords that are
made up of your name, your kids’ name(s), your birth
date, your street name; etc.)
4.) Turn off your wireless router
/ modem when you aren’t (home)
accessing your network.
5.) Turn off “SSID
Broadcast” on your router (Service Set Identifier). This basically
prevents your network from being displayed as a network
to connect to, when someone is “scanning” the area
for wireless networks to connect to. This
doesn’t prevent your network from being
hacked, once identified. It is important to use all
steps suggested to prevent hacking/snooping
etc.
6.) Change your
networks “SSID” name. The SSID name is usually
set as the brand name of your router (i.e: “Linksys”,
“Belkin”, “D-Link” ). Although this doesn’t secure your
network, it does prevent hackers & snoopers from
quickly determining which router brand you are
using.
7.) Use your
router’s firewall in conjunction with a software
firewall such as “Zone Alarm”, to ensure that internet
traffic, and “network snoopers”, can’t access and
compromise your network.
8.)
Reduce the
range of your wireless signal. Let’s say your wireless has
a “high range”… it can broadcast a signal for
200 feet. Your computer is in your bedroom and
your router is in your bedroom as well. You
can actually decrease
the range of your signal in
this case, so that people outside of your home, or down
your street, cannot log onto your network. You can
switch to 802.11 g, from 802.11 n, or 802.11 b.
You can also change the channel of your wireless signal,
to a channel that subsequently shortens the range of
your router’s signal.
I hope you
find this article handy in securing your network and
preventing your precious data and files from being
compromised !!
