An unsecure wireless network can be a treasure trove of malicious hackers, hell bent on retrieving our personal information for their own nefarious purposes. A hacker can literally destroy you life as he/she can have access to our inner most personal details. A home network is a network of interconnected machines that run on a local area network. The Local area network can be supported through wireless means or through a cable system. A wireless network is much easier to penetrate as it stretches beyond the geographical boundaries of an individual’s office or home. Most users secure their home network through a set of password to prevent neighboring devices from depleting their data plans. What they are not aware is that an unsecure network can be used to hacked to gather sensitive information. Hence the need for each network user to be aware of the dangers, as well as means of securing their Wi-Fi networks. There are various things that we can do namely:
Changing the name of the network: Changing the name of a network from the default name assigned by the manufacturer, to a customized name, reduces the risk of the hacker knowing the type of router and it vulnerabilities.
Creating a strong unique password for the router: Changing router passwords from the assigned manufacture default passwords, to customized unique passwords strengthens the security of the wireless network. It is advised that a good password contain a combination of at least twenty characters, numbers or symbols.
Network encryption: A user can enable network encryption on the router level. An encryption language such as WPA2 AES is good for adding a layer of security to the data being transmitted over a wireless network through a router (Miller, 2013).
Switching off router when not at home: This is a simple but vital step that users should follow, especially when going away from home (Miller, 2013).
Locating the router in the middle of the house: To minimize infiltration, users should strategically locate the router, so as to prevent leakage of the wireless network. The best location is in the middle of the house.
- Raul Siles. (2012). Securing Your Home Wi-Fi Network. The SANS Institute, accessed 2 May 2017, https://securingthehuman.sans.org/newsletters/ouch/issues/OUCH-201201_en.pdf
- Miller, S. (2013). Wi-Fi Security. New York, McGraw Hill Professional.
