5 Tips from Network Security Experts to Protect your Home Network

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.

10 Tips from Cyber Security Experts to Improve Your Internet Privacy

With more advancements coming our way, we are realising how dangerous the internet is turning out to be.

Being filled with malicious links, Trojans, and viruses, our security is at stake and data breach is becoming the most common occurrence. Hence, our cyber security experts have coined the top 10 tips to protect your privacy online:

 

Checking social privacy settings

Every social account bears a lot of information about the user and it is by default visible to other users on the internet. This is when it is highly advised to check the privacy settings and decide which information to make visible.

 

Using two-factor authentication

Having a strong password is very much recommended but besides this, it is imperative to have a two-factor or multi-factor authentication. Professional cybersecurity experts suggest that having this feature will provide you with multi-layer security against any hacker trying to guess your password.

 

Looking for phishing scams

Phishing attacks are by far the deadliest cybersecurity threats that can make users easily fall for them. The senders trick the recipients to open malicious links that can divulge some very important credentials or can infect the system with viruses. The best way to avoid this is by checking if the senders are unfamiliar or if the emails have grammatical errors.

 

Keeping track of digital footprint

To keep track of the digital footprint, delete the accounts you are not using or remove payment details saved in multiple points. You can even set strong passwords for various social touchpoints and change them regularly.

 

Updating constantly

Security flaws mostly give rise to software patches. The software might be constantly sending notifications for resolving the issue and rebooting the system is the best way to lead out of the risks to computer infections.

 

Secure connections

This might be one of the most common pieces of advice coming from cyber security consulting agencies. There are major temptations to connect your devices to unsecured connections, but there can be unfavourable consequences. It is best to connect to private networks, especially when dealing with sensitive information.

 

Securing mobile devices

Security does not end just at the desktop but also extends to mobile devices as well. Using strong passwords and biometric features, a turned off Bluetooth and no connection to public Wi-Fi can help.

 

Staying away from social engineering

This type of privacy attack is done on the mind of the users rather than on their devices. This is how access to the systems can be initiated.

 

Backing up data

Storage is cheap these days and hence it becomes more important to backup important data. Backing up in cloud storage is much more beneficial than storing data physically.

 

Evade tracking

While visiting some websites, you see the browser disclosing a lot about you and your browsing history, this is when you should use specialised tools to avoid getting tracked. Marketers use this information to target you with ads.

The cybersecurity consultants reveal that hacking, phishing, and malware incidents are the major security breaches. To lessen them, use the above tips, which will also reduce the number of human errors leading to breaches.