Consider your Wi-Fi network as your private space. This is where your tablet, phone, your computer are connected to the internet. Just like you do not want a complete stranger entering your private space, similarly, you do not want a hacker getting into your Wi-Fi network.
What a Hacker is Capable of?
A hacker is a person trying to invade or access a computer or network illegally with the purpose of taking data out or to disturb. They might have skills allowing them to extract information, disrupt services, or take over the whole device. The motivations for hackers can be personal, financial, or even political.
• The hackers can steal sensitive information like credit card numbers, passwords, and social security numbers.
• They can perform the disruption of essential services, which include internet connectivity, power grids, or transportation systems.
• They can take control of computer systems and use these systems maliciously for delivering malware or launching attacks on other systems.
• They can threat an organization to reveal sensitive data or disrupt their services.
How to Keep Your Wi-Fi Safe
After all, you wouldn’t want someone to invade you a personal space; just like that, you wouldn’t want anyone to hack into your Wi-Fi network. Here’s how you can do this fairly quickly and guarantee your Wi-Fi is well protected.
1. Change Your Default Wi-Fi Password
The first critical step you should always think of is changing your default Wi-Fi password. When you are setting up your Wi-Fi, it will come with a default password. This password is often easy for hackers to guess because it’s usually something simple or common. You should change it to a strong password that’s hard to guess. A good password includes a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters. Make it as if you were developing a secret code that neither other persons nor even your closest family members should know. All this will make it very hard for hackers to get in.
2. Use Strong Encryption
Other means of securing your Wi-Fi network include using effective encryption. This means putting your information in secret code that can only be read by people who are actually allowed to do so. Modern Wi-Fi routers generally come with the WPA2 protocol for type-of-an-encryption application which is highly secure. If your router is old and gives support to WEP, an older and more weak type of encryption, it’s time you upgrade to the WPA2 protocol. This should be available in your router settings. Make sure you set it to WPA2 to secure the network.
3. Upgrade Your Router Firmware
You should also keep your router’s firmware updated. Firmware is a software program that tells your router what to do; like the apps on your phone, it too requires periodic updates to fix things and improve security. Go to the manufacturer’s website of your router, find the update page, and follow the instructions to install the updates. This will help ensure that your firmware from the router is up-to-date against new types of attacks that hackers might come up with.
4. Hide Your Wi-Fi Network’s SSID
Being optional, you can maintain the name for your Wi-Fi network without the need to change it. It will have an SSID, which is its name, and it will show up when people look for networks to connect to. Turn off its visibility in that list of available networks for people to see. This will not only discourage determined hackers but also make it a bit hard for them to know where you are connecting a network establishment. You can mostly hide your SSID in your router settings
5. Use MAC Address Filtering
Another way to help is not to give Wi-Fi access to everybody. Most routers today provide MAC address filtering. When devices are connected to Wi-Fi, they have to connect through a unique address called a MAC address. You can configure your router to accept connections only if they come from a device bearing a certain MAC address. This way, even if a hacker tries to connect to your router, they can’t unless their hacking device’s MAC address is on your list, too. Find your router’s user’s manual or visit their administrative settings to know how to configure MAC address filtering.
6. Disable Unnecessary Features
It’s also a good idea to turn off features you don’t need. For instance, if you have no use for remote management, turn it off as hackers use some of these extra features to sneak into your network. This way, you make it much more difficult for hackers.
7. Change Wi-Fi Password Regularly
Another brilliant move is changing the Wi-Fi password regularly. Just as you do while shifting your secret code every now and then, this helps to maintain your network’s/hotspot’s security. Remember to put a reminder to update your password after some few months. When you do so, make it strong, just like we have discussed earlier.
8. Be Cautious in Sharing Your Password
Finally, always be careful about sharing your Wi-Fi password. If you do lend it to a friend or family member, be sure to trust that person. If you fear that such a person would share your password with others, it would be wise to set up a guest network. A guest network is nothing but a whole second Wi-Fi network—another one for people to get online on but without access to your main network. If someone else cracks the password for your guest network, they still won’t be able to get into your main network or access your devices.
Follow these tips religiously, and your Wi-Fi network would be secure from hackers. Make sure to replace the default weak password, enable WPA2 encryption, and regularly update the firmware of your router. Consider hiding your SSID, set up MAC address filtering, and disable other features if not needed. Do remember to frequently change the Wi-Fi password and be very vigilant in handing it out to people. With these simple steps, you’ll have done your part to protect your Wi-Fi network just like you protect your personal space.
