Tips to secure your home wireless network from Hackers
Almost everything we do has shifted online in our current circumstances. This makes home routers an attractive target for hackers as it is the gateway to all your payment transactions and personal information. Everyday we are exposed to new threats making our existing firewall obsolete, leaving your home router vulnerable to scamsters and hackers.
Take the story of Arjun for instance. Being a newspaper journalist, his articles and his research are confidential and time bound. In his book, if it’s not breaking news, it’s not news at all.
He cannot work from the security of his office system. So what can he do to secure his work when working from home? Here is the advice he got from the tech team at the office:
The first level of understanding you need is that to protect your home router you must use a blend of intrusion prevention systems and intelligent firewalls. Sitting in one corner of your home, the router has control of your personal and professional activities. It is important to consider the vast differences one faces when working from the security of an enterprise network as opposed to the lack of security in a home network. Understanding your router and learning to secure it is your first step to security.
1. A weak password can make your router vulnerable to attacks. Using the same password on most sites can leave you unprotected from hacking attacks. Password manager software solutions are auto generated and can make complex passwords easy to retrieve by the user. This way the password can be used for longer without fear of being compromised.
2. Regular firmware updates can protect your home router from being hacked. If you fail to update the router firmware you are exposed to malicious firmware updates by the hackers. The firmware helps in plugging security issues before your system is compromised.
3. An outdated router is susceptible to hacker attacks as they take advantage of the network lapses to get into your browsing history and divert you to malicious websites. Secure your network hardware using VPN on your router to enhance security. With VPN router you can connect to multiple devices. Now all the devices enter into an encrypted tunnel making your network safe.
4. Use of latest routers that automatically update can bridge the security gap. In the meantime, if you have an old router that does not update automatically, use the multi-factor authentication (MFA) or biometric authentication to block access to unknown users.
The Tech Dept. brought to Arjun’s notice, products like the SMOAD BEETLE and SPIDER routers, which come with in-built firewall and security features like WPA2-PSK encryption. These restrict unauthorized users from entering your network. The content filter blocks objectionable websites or images from opening thus securing your home router. With SMOAD, one can enjoy the same level of security as an enterprise network within the home network too. An ideal situation where both the Company IT team and the employees working from home have peace of mind!