How to prevent intrusion into a WiFi network

There are several ways in which a home may suffer an intrusion. This can be broken into the input port, but also jeopardizing the computer of a user. And if the intruder has compromised in this second scenario, the wireless home network, you may also come into possession of the keys to the house entrance.

Just as wireless home networks give you the freedom to access the data online without the need for a physical connection, if not properly configured the same local wireless network (WLAN) provides the same comfort as the bad guys.

Fortunately, there are some simple steps to make sure that the wireless connection is as secure as possible.

Step 1: Keep the default password.

Set up a router and leave the default password for the administrator account is what technically defines a bad idea. The default guest account should be changed as well to make sure it is enabled. Once this is done, the next step is to create a strong password to replace the one you just removed. Much has been written in the past about the importance of creating strong passwords. If you need some advice it is useful to include in the password a mix of letters and numbers, so that the password itself is not a real word. There should be no birthday dates, names, or else that could be traced easily.

Step 2: To consider changing the default SSID name.

The service set identifier (SSID) is the public name of the wireless device. Many times, manufacturers use the same SSID for all of their products. Although this does not affect directly the safety of the network, if a hacker identifies a default SSID, you might be encouraged to groped intrusion assuming that the network has a default password is configured in an insecure manner. While some claim to hide the SSID all together, in reality, this has a little impact on safety. After all, the SSID is a network password and there are some tools that hackers can use to find out.

Step 3: Protect your access point with encryption.

Encryption is a must to protect the wireless network. The most effective response to the needs of encryption is WPA2 (WiFi Protected Access 2), stronger than its predecessor – WPA – but also than WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy), which preceded the WPA, and that you have discovered security holes. Unlike other versions, WPA2 requires the use of AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) encryption for security. Although WPA2 is not supported by some wireless adapters and access points dated, it is advisable to take the safest option available whenever this is possible.

Step 4: Enable the MAC Address Filtering.

The Media Access Control (MAC) address is a unique hardware identifier of your computer. By enabling MAC filtering, you can exert more control over who can connect to the network through the creation of a list of clients that will be allowed to enter. Once enabled, the router / access point will check the MAC address of each client that sends a request for access to the network by comparing it to that list. Who is not on the list cannot connect? This is not a solution to keep malicious furthest from the network, since the MAC addresses can be falsified, for which it is useful to also take other safety measures.

Step 5: Disable the option of remote administration.

Some wireless routers allow network users to administer the router remotely from any location. If this is not necessary, there is no reason to keep this feature enabled. In this way, you keep potentially open from a door for hackers who could exploit the situation to gain administrative access to the router through the Internet.

Returning to the initial comparison of the house, even the doors are useless if they are left open. For this reason, note the following should be the first step to protect themselves from online attacks.