If you witnessed one of your neighbors or a complete stranger raiding your lush, carefully tended vegetable garden, or plugging a long extension cord into an exterior electrical outlet on your front porch and stringing it to a device that draws a lot of electricity, you’d probably balk at such brash behavior and put an immediate stop to it. Just because wireless Internet is an invisible commodity doesn’t mean it’s valueless, or that “borrowing” it can’t result in serious damage to your computer, private information and, ultimately, your good name. When you consider the potential damage of someone using your wireless signal without your permission (referred to as “piggybacking” or, in the worst case scenario, “hacking”), it becomes increasingly clear that wireless security is a necessity, not an option.
The Importance of Wireless Security
Even if you’re a generous soul who doesn’t mind sharing your Internet access with immediate neighbors or someone sitting curbside in a car with an open laptop that’s leeching access to your wireless router’s signal, you should still consider securing your wireless router against several significant incidents that can occur:
- Infecting your computer with malicious malware, spyware or viruses.
- Infecting your friends and family with spam, spyware, malware and viruses that can be traced back to your computer’s network.
- Invading your privacy and viewing your personal Internet activity.
- Breaching security and viewing — and using –your private banking, financial or other sensitive information.
- Using your network to carry out nefarious, illegal acts.
- Slowing your Internet access to a near-standstill.
You must protect your Internet access; securing your wireless router as soon as you plug it in and prepare it for use is the only way to ensure thorough wireless security.
Securing Your Wireless Router is a Cinch
After purchasing a new wireless router, the temptation is to plug it in, lean back and enjoy the ease of Internet access from multiple laptops and computers in your home. You’ll avoid a host of potential problems by setting up crucial wireless security on your router. Here are a few steps you can take to enhance wireless security:
- Encrypt, encrypt, encrypt with WPA2, WPA or WEP – The most effective security encryption for a wireless router is Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2), providing the strongest protection by far against hackers. New wireless router models often have WPA2 as a standard encryption option. Standard Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is the next best choice, and the less-secure, less desirable Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), a third. Simply choose a wireless password to enable encryption.
- Change default settings of password and network name – Because wireless router default settings are uniform for your router model, default passwords and network names (service set identifier or SSID) make it easier for clever hackers to invade your privacy and wreak havoc. Choose a longer, unique password that employs upper and lower case letters, and numbers.
- Enable firewall — If your wireless router’s built-in firewall protection is disabled, enable it. A firewall safeguards against intrusions by continuously examining incoming packets of information and rejecting uninvited Internet traffic.
- Reduce the range of your wireless router — Ideally, placement of the wireless router should be near the center of your home, away from exterior walls where it’s easier to pick up signals beyond them.
- During vacations or extended periods when you’ll be away from home, turn off the router — Probably the most efficient way to prevent hacking and beef up wireless security while you’re away from home traveling or on vacation is to turn off access to the Internet by switching your wireless router off or unplugging it.
Mike Merrill is with CommSpeed, serving Northern Arizona.
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