How to secure your WiFi network
Now we know you’re probably sick of hearing about cyber security, 'make sure you have secure passwords', 'turn on two factor authentication', 'always protect your social accounts, email accounts, bank accounts, and the list goes on... We have one more for you that is important for protecting all of the above! Something that is often overlooked and not maintained by people is the security of our WiFi networks.
Our team have listed out some of the steps you can take to ensure your WiFi network is protected against potential cyber threats.
Keep router firmware up to date
Hackers are always evolving their skills and strategies to break into WiFi networks. Companies are constantly developing new ways to improve their security. It is important to ensure you keep your router firmware updated to the latest version to ensure it has all of the latest security features.
Change your router login details
Logging into your router's administrator portal provides full access to your network and all of its settings. When your router is new it has a default login which is set by the manufacturer and is the same for all routers of that model. The default login is very insecure as it can easily be found just by knowing the model of the router.
Change the default WiFi network name
The default name of your WiFi network generally includes the name of your type of router. This basically advertises what type of router you’re using and gives hackers the upper hand as they can exploit known vulnerabilities that your router may have. Changing the name of your WiFi network will mean that when people are looking at nearby WiFi networks yours won’t give away any extra info.
Set a strong WiFi password
Setting a strong password is extremely important and often overlooked. Although the default password you receive often appears very secure, they don't usually contain any special characters and sometimes don't even contain numbers. The trick to making a good WiFi password is to ensure it contains a good mix of letters, numbers and special characters and that it is as hard to remember as possible. If you can remember your WiFi password it probably isn’t secure enough.
Disable remote admin access
Some routers allow you to access them remotely without being connected to your WiFi network. This means that people anywhere in the world can have a shot at cracking your internet password. Disabling this feature will require users to be connected to your WiFi network in order to access the router settings.
Activate the additional security features of your router
Most newer routers come with some basic inbuilt security features. If your device allows it, it is always best practice to enable all available options for additional security.
Use a guest network for WiFi visitors
Having a guest network is a great way to implement an extra level of security. Even if you trust your friends and family not to hack your network, you can’t be sure what networks they have connected to and whether they may have viruses on their devices that could enter your network and attack your other devices.
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