Most of us who have a wireless connection, don’t know how big a risk it can be to not secure it properly. Nevertheless, even if you haven’t secured your connection yet, it is time you do, so that you can stay safe from hackers. Given below are some steps that you can follow easily to make sure your WIFI is free from any intruders.
Step 1: Once your device has been installed, don’t be in a hurry to log on to the internet but instead make sure you enable encryption for the basic security. The reason why you need to enable encryption on your own is because it is mostly disabled by default. Now here you must remember that encryption security has levels too. The lowest and most easily hacked is the WEP (Wired Equivalent Protection), after which comes the WPA and the highest (recommended setting) is the WPA-2 which is the latest in wireless encryption methods.
Step 2: When you are enabling the encryption option, make sure you change your device’s password as well. No matter what encryption method you choose, it will go to waste if you don’t use a good password. If you have no idea what or how a good password is developed, visit some helpful sites on the internet and you will be able to get plenty of tips from there.
Step 3: Once you are done with the points mentioned above, you need to change the SSID name, which is the name of your wireless connection. You can view this name when you open the ‘available wireless connections’ list while connecting. The SSID name is set to the service providers name by default and you need to change it manually to secure the connection. Now even though this won’t secure you from hackers, it is something which discourages them because they see that you have gone the extra mile to secure your connection.
Step 4: Next, you can also disable your SSID broadcast so it doesn’t get displayed on the available wireless connections list. This way, nobody will be able to view your connection except people who have the SSID name. This step will save you at least from the amateur hackers who do not know how to get across with the name.
Step 5: As a final step, you should enable MAC filtering. Some very determined hackers might be able to get to your connection even if you have used steps 1-4, but MAC filtering ensures you are protected further. Enabling the MAC filter will allow you to give access to only a few of the trusted laptops or desktops. Every machine has its own MAC address which is the unique identifier, so enabling this option means you are making the wireless device unique.
In the end, just bear in mind that even if you do not follow all the steps above, you do need to enable at least some of the options otherwise you are practically inviting a hacker in to illegally use your resources.
