Is Your Wireless Router Secure?
If you are like me, you have a mobile office. I work mostly from home, which is possible because of technology like Office 365. I can work anytime, from anywhere. It seems a lot of people are working this way anymore. Even if you spend most of your days in the office, you have the ability to do work outside of the office when you need to.
It is important to make sure that your home or mobile office has a secure network. To do this, you need to secure your wireless router. If you don’t secure your router, you’re vulnerable to people accessing information on your computer, using your Internet service for free and potentially using your network to commit cyber crimes.
According to The National Cyber Security Alliance, the following are ways to secure your wireless router:
- Change the name of your router: The default ID – called a service set identifier” (SSID) or “extended service set identifier” (ESSID ) – is assigned by the manufacturer. Change your router to a name that is unique to you and won’t be easily guessed by others.
- Change the pre-set password on your router: When creating a new password, make sure it is long and strong, using a mix of numbers, letters and symbols.
- Review security options: When choosing your router’s level of security, opt for WPA2, if available, or WPA. They are more secure than the WEP option.
- Create a guest password: Some routers allow for guests to use the network via a separate password. If you have many visitors to your home, it’s a good idea to set up a guest network.
- Use a firewall: Firewalls help keep hackers from using your computer to send out your personal information without your permission. While anti-virus software scans incoming email and files, a firewall is like a guard, watching for attempts to access your system and blocking communications with sources you don’t permit. Your operating system and/or security software likely comes with a pre-installed firewall, but make sure you turn on these features.