Many computer
users don't recognize that when you buy a router, setup
a password and begin surfing, your default network setup
is NOT secure! When your ISP (Internet Service
Provider) (Time Warner, Verizon etc ) sets up your high
speed modem that allows you to computers to connect to the internet using WIFI (wireless), more than likely
your network is highly vulnerable to being hacked,
unless a knowledgeable person setup the proper security
features to protect your home network.
As time passes on, it becomes more
vital to be extremely aware of the various
internet threats that are waiting to exploit
the "nearest computer", and learning how to safeguard
your personal information and thieves is critical
for a truly secure home network.
Were you
aware that various tools and programs exist that can
allow a person to crack your wireless encryption key
(password), you know there are tools and software
that exist, which allows a person to search for your
wireless home network, connect to it, "crack" your
encryption key (password), and then obtain any
information that they desire, from your PC (this
includes your passwords, pictures, videos, bank account
numbers, credit card numbers, and more)!
I will now explain how you
can take a small amount of time, and create a secure
home network - all by YOURSELF!!!
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1.) Go into your broadband
(wireless) modem or WIFI access point, and change the
manufacturer's password (default) to access the
administrators page in the router.
Hint: The
manufacturer's default name is often "admin," and the
password field is usually blank (no password), or is
provided in the literature (or a disc) that is included
with the hardware.
2.) To create a
fully secure home network, use a password
(encryption)
The two most common forms of encryption are WEP,
WPA (and WPA2), with WPA being harder to "crack" than
WEP; therefore making WPA a better choice for
security.Creating an entirely different and unique key
at least every 30 days, is necessary to defend your
network and secure your wireless home network. Any
password that you create should not be easy to guess,
and should use a mixture of alpha/numeric characters as
well as symbols; and upper and lower case combined for
optimal protection..
Hint: Here
is an example of a "good" password is:
"1heli899FR_x903z" or how about: "tek77e1$@&%p0rt."
Those two passwords would take longer to "crack" using
encryption cracking software, and might prove impossible
to crack entirely. Always resist the temptation to
create "easy to remember" passwords such as those that
includes birthdates, children's names, street names etc
- these types of passwords always exist in an easy to
hack, unsecured home network.
3.) Disconnect or power down
your WIFI router or modem when you aren't using
your internet.
A good time to power down your wireless internet
connect, would be when you decide to go to sleep or when
you will not be home to use it for awhile. Disabling
your internet is an additional layer of security and
protection for a truly secure home network.
4.) Disable "SSID Broadcast" on
WIFI access point or modem.
SSID is also known as
Service Set Identifier
, which is the name given a
specific router by the manufacturer of the router.
As an example, routers that were created by Belkin will
show "belkin" as the SSID, while routers made by
D-Link will have "dlink" as the service set identification.
When SSID is disabled, your
wireless home network can't be displayed in a list of
available networks, when a person scans the vicinity for
an open (FREE) WIFI access point to connect to.
5.) Change the SSID name of the access
point or router.
Changing
your SSID name is a necessary step in creating
a secure home network, regardless of the fact that the
SSID was disabled in the last step. Changing the
SSID name helps to prevent online criminals,
snoops and malware, from instantly learning what router you are
using.
A hacker is better armed to compromise or harm
your home network, especially if your log in name,
password and administrative user log in/passwords, are
the same as the manufacturer's default. This is a big
NO-NO!
6.) A firewalls is ALWAYS
present in a secure home network!
Hardware firewalls) or firewalls
that are built into routers/modems/access points,
and can cause internet connection or browsing problems
when used. I recommend computer beginners and
novices to use software firewalls, until they
are able to fully learn how hardware
firewalls work, and their limitations. Firewalls prevent malware, hackers and
malicious software from accessing your internet connection, without you
allowing access.
Firewalls helps create a
secure home network, by keeping your sensitive
information, confidential data, and personal data -
safe. People outside of your home network,
that try to gain access to your computer without your
permission, will be blocked access by the firewall (if
properly configured).
Hint: I
highly recommend Comodo Internet
Security, which is totally
free ( for the basic
version), straight forward to setup and use, and very
effective in sensing problematic software based
on its "behavior". I
recommend Comodo to all of my clients, and have had no
complaints at all regarding this excellent software. Try
Comodo for yourself by clicking here.
7.) Decrease your WIFI signal's
range.
A secure home network has an internet signal that
SHOULDN'T transmit beyond the range of the computer
users' home? Why is this?
For instance, you purchase a
wireless router from your nearest computer store, that
has a WIFI range of 1 whole mile!! WOW! You are
thinking - that's a very good range, that will allow you
to use your WIFI connection wherever you want in your
house with absolutely no internet connection problems at
all!
While that may be true, you
actually just need a signal range that will allow the
WIFI signal to reach the computers inside of your home,
not necessarily outside of your home. Radio waves from
your router or modem, would be virtually impossible to
connect to, even by the most seasoned wireless network
hacker!
Hint: A good
method to decrease your WIFI signal range, is by
changing the signal from 802.11 g, from 802.11 n, or
even to 802.11 b. Check your router's or access point's
documentation by the manufacturer, for specific
information regarding configuring your WIFI access point
for your home network.
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I hope these tips will help
you to create a truly secure home network, so that you wont make the same
mistakes, and suffer the same disastrous consequences as many other
people who never bothered to secure their home
network! An ounce of prevention is always worth a pound
of cure!
