Working from home has seen a huge surge ever since the globe witnessed the pandemic. As a result, working on personal computer systems have become a common sight. But right now, the biggest threat is the vulnerability of the home network security which is not gaining enough attention. In this post, we are going to highlight tips from network security experts on how to secure your home networks perfectly.
Secured encryption for wireless network
Any modified encryption present on the network will make it unreadable by other devices or users. There are multiple encryption options available and users need to choose them wisely to make the security unbreakable. Here are the following types of encryption available:
- Safe- WPA3 or WPA2. These might also be labelled as WPA2-PSK (AES) or WPA3 (AES).
- Weak- The weakest encryption on the network is labelled as no encryption. The others are WEP, WPA, WPA1, WPA2 with TKIP and WPA/WPA2 or the mixed mode.
If the network is not getting any suitable encryption to choose from, it is better to provide weak protection rather than not protecting at all. If your router has a weaker side of security, it is high time to upgrade it to better and higher encryption.
Securing the passwords
The PSK or the pre-shared key to the wireless network must be secured always. This makes it tougher for the attackers to guess or brute-force the password through your network. But if the security is weaker, the attackers might find their way into the network and the device systems and search for the most vulnerable devices. They can also view the traffic from the other devices present on the network. So when selecting the password, it must be a combination of words and symbols to make it a 12-character long one.
Changing the default administrator password
The administrator passwords are present to help the users access the settings of the router and changing them. But this must be changed as soon as the work is done. This is because these passwords are easily guessable as these include the name of the ISPs, the name of the manufacturer, or as default or admin. To make things easier for the users, modern-day routers have complex default passwords that are not such vulnerable.
Updated router firmware
Most of the ISP routers do this automatically today by downloading the firmware, installing it, and rebooting the system at the dead of the nighttime. But this is not done by all. You should be logging in to the router and updating it time and again using the administrator password.
Turning off the DHCP functionality
The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol must be turned off to enhance wireless security. Instead of this, a static address can be utilised to enter the network settings. You can also enter into the device and assign it an IP address that can be detected by the router.
In keeping the data safe and secure, everyone must proactively follow the tips stated by the network security experts to avoid any sort of exploitation. With these tips, it will become tougher for attackers to breach your privacy.