How to protect Wi-Fi from hackers – Guide
Your home probably has a WiFi router to provide internet access for the whole family. When people approach, they ask for a password so they can view something on their smartphone or show vacation photos stored in the cloud. Before long, many people knew your WiFi password and people could connect to your router whenever they passed your house. In an apartment building, your router’s signal is broadcast to a neighboring apartment. Unlike physical networks, WiFi systems can extend beyond the walls of your home. Once the access password is released in the world, it is very difficult to control who can access your home network. Therefore, you need to consider implementing some changes and routines that protect you from internet intruders, snoopers and intruders. You have two big security issues to deal with. The first is that you need to control who can actually access your network. The second problem is the signal footprint. If people outside your home can receive a signal from your router, they can also capture the data and get all your passwords.
How to protect wifi from hackers
By taking just a few simple precautions with your Wi-Fi router, you can make hacking very difficult. As is the case with many things in life, preventing Wi-Fi hacking is cheaper and easier than dealing with a hacked router. When that happens, your problem will become considerably more difficult, though not impossible, to solve.
Change your router’s admin credentials
All routers have a username and password that are used to access your router settings. Whenever you purchase a router, whether new or used, immediately change the username and password. Wi-Fi hackers know the manufacturer’s default admin credentials for almost every popular router on the market. If someone is able to access your Wi-Fi network, they can try to log into the router with that information. If you never updated your login credentials after getting your router, you are configuring yourself up as an easy mark for a router password hack. And if you bought a router from someone else, you can’t be sure who has that old login information. Anyway, change up AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE. Set a new router password using strong password creation practices or create a truly indecipherable password with random strings of characters to prevent Wi-Fi hackers from easily breaking into your router.
Enable WPA2 (or WPA3) Encryption
WPA2 and WPA3 the second and third versions of the Wi-Fi Protected Access security protocol protect your router from unwanted access with AES encryption. This is the same type of encryption we use at Avast for our super-secure Avast SecureLine VPN, so you know it’s good. Any router worth buying will be WPA2 enabled and some newer models may feature WPA3. Enable WPA2 or WPA3 encryption so that anyone who wants to connect to your secure router will need your Wi-Fi password. And make sure you set a strong password by following smart password creation habits. These simple steps will give any aspiring Wi-Fi hacker a serious challenge.
Change your router’s network name (SSID)
While you are configuring your router, changing your admin credentials and setting a strong password, change the SSID as well. SSID stands for Service Set Identifier, which in everyday terms is the name of your Wi-Fi network. New routers often display the router brand in the SSID, and Wi-Fi hackers can use this information to help them. to crack your password. Set a custom network name so they don’t know what type of router you have. The more clues you give a hacker, the easier his job will be. Get creative with your Wi-Fi network name: make it long and complex. WPA encryption uses the SSID as part of the algorithm, so avoiding standard or common network names will make your network more resistant to password cracking methods such as rainbow tables. Plus, it’s fun to give your neighbors something to laugh about.
disable WPS
Along with WPA2 or WPA3, many routers also have WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup), which means you can send a button or enter a PIN to connect instead of using the password. While clearly more convenient, the security level drops when using buttons or PINs instead of passwords. Anyone who can physically touch your router will be able to send WPS button and connect. And a short PIN is much easier to crack with a brute force attack than a long, complex password. Unfortunately, not all routers support disabling WPS features but if yours does, disable WPS asap and set a password.
Disable wireless/remote administration
Remote administration allows you to log into your router’s admin settings from anywhere in the world. But unless you’re a developer, chances are slim that you’ll need to do this. If you disable this feature, you will only be able to access its settings when your computer is physically connected to the router with an Ethernet cable. Disabling remote administration is a convenient way to keep hackers at bay.
Update your router’s firmware
Firmware is the name of the software that controls a specific piece of hardware, in this case your router. Just like your computer’s operating system or any of the programs and applications you use, firmware can be updated. Firmware updates can protect your router against any vulnerabilities that might be discovered in older firmware versions. Some routers will be able to check for firmware updates, but you can always log into your router’s admin settings, find the firmware section, and have a look for yourself.
Use a cybersecurity tool that secures your Wi-Fi network
One of the easiest and safest ways to secure your Wi-Fi network is to use a Wi-Fi monitoring tool that will automatically monitor your wireless network for you, saving you the hassle of manually monitoring it. Avast’s free antivirus software features a built-in Wi-Fi Inspector that constantly scans your network for any suspicious activity or devices, so you know exactly what’s happening on your Wi-Fi at all times. Secure your Wi-Fi network, get rid of any devices that don’t belong there, and rest easy knowing that if any Wi-Fi hackers are on your network, you’ll be the first to know.
fight against hackers
Hackers have a wide range of tools they can use to crack your passwords and gain access to your devices. They can install malware that lets you steal passwords, redirect internet traffic, or even take control of your computer. or they can trick you to visit infected websites that spread viruses, download malware onto your device, or capture your data. Hackers can even buy your passwords after they are exposed in a data breach. But you can protect yourself against all these tricks and more with Avast One, with a built-in behavior shield. Avast One is a complete security and privacy tool that fights hackers on multiple fronts: defending against viruses and other malware, blocking malicious websites, and helping to protect your data after a breach. Download it for free today.
Final note
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