These days, you can’t do enough to protect yourself from hackers and other cybercriminals.
The threat of hacking is growing, with ransomware attacks soaring exponentially in 2021, and a 50 percent increase in overall cyberattacks from 2020 to 2021.
More recently, the U.S. government warned the public of an increased risk of cyberattacks from Russian hacking groups.
Is your home network safe? Chances are it isn’t, especially if you’ve never considered your home network security before. You can no longer just assume that your home network is automatically safe.
You need to take steps, like securing your router, changing your wifi passwords regularly, keeping your equipment and firmware up to date, setting up a guest network, and disabling remote access.
Follow These Useful Steps To Keep Your Home Network Safe:
1. Secure Your Router
If you’re using a router or wireless gateway that you’re renting from your internet service provider (ISP), you need to send it back and buy your own.
It’ll be cheaper in the long run, since you won’t have to pay a monthly rental fee for it – and, over time, those fees can add up to much more than the cost of simply buying a router.
But saving a little money isn’t the only reason to buy your own router. A router provided by your ISP simply isn’t as secure as the one you buy yourself.
These routers contain backdoor access settings designed to allow technicians to troubleshoot the router from a distance. However, they can also make your router more vulnerable to hacking.
Once you’ve purchased your own router, you need to find out how to log in to the admin dashboard. Change your admin password to something unique and secure, because hackers can easily look up your router’s default admin password online. Changing the password can help keep them out.
Related Resource: How To Connect Google Home To Wifi?
2. Disable Remote Access
While you’re in your router’s admin dashboard, you need to go ahead and disable remote access. Unless you need to access your router’s admin dashboard from outside your home, you don’t need remote access enabled – and having it enabled makes it easier for hackers to gain access to your network.
You may also want to turn off Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) and Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) to make it harder for hackers to connect to your network. However, turning off these settings will also make it harder for you to connect new devices to your network.
3. Use Antivirus Software
A maximum security antivirus software from a reputable manufacturer can do a lot to protect your home network. Antivirus software detects malware and viruses and stops them from infecting your devices, which can stop hackers from gaining access to your network.
They can also protect you from ransomware, spyware, and other forms of malware that can compromise your digital safety.
4. Change Your Wifi Passwords Regularly
Changing your home network password can be a pain because it means you have to reconnect all your devices. But it can be worth it because it’ll kick off any hackers who are accessing your network without your knowledge.
5. Update Your Firmware and Hardware Regularly
You need to replace your router hardware – that is, the router itself – every two to three years. In the interim, make sure you’re updating your router’s firmware whenever updates become available. Firmware updates do more than improve your device’s performance.
They typically also provide patches to fix security flaws in the router’s operating system. These patches can protect you from new forms of malware and viruses that have emerged and can eliminate backdoors that hackers might use to gain access to your router and network.
6. Use a Guest Network
If your router offers you the option to set up a guest network, you should use it. A guest network allows you to give friends and family internet access without compromising your network security. It’s not that your friends and family are nefarious – they probably don’t intend to put your security at risk.
But their own devices may have been compromised by hackers. Keeping them on a guest network protects your own devices from any malware that hackers may use to steal your network passwords.
You should put your Internet of Things (IoT) devices on a guest network. Things like home security cameras, robot vacuums, and smart fridges may not have the same robust security software that a laptop or smartphone does.
Smart devices are notoriously vulnerable to hacking. Sequestering them on a guest network keeps hackers from using your IoT devices as a backdoor to gain control of your whole network. Your home network may not be as safe as you think.
You need to take actionable steps to make sure your network is secure from hackers and thieves. If you don’t, you could come to regret it – sooner rather than later, as cyberattacks are definitely on the rise.
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