Threats On A Home Network And The Importance Of VPNs

If you have Wifi capabilities at home, then you have a home network. Home networks consist of devices connected to our routers, such as smartphones, laptops, gaming consoles, and smart devices. A home network provides you with many conveniences, but it can also present an opportunity for hacks. Unlike corporations that invest large sums of money in securing their networks, most people do not believe their home networks could be a target. If you have neighbors or live in an apartment building, there is a high probability that people can pick up your Wi-Fi and potentially exploit it. This article will discuss some of the threats to a home network, how to protect against them and how VPNs can be beneficial within a home network:

Malware

The first thing you have to be concerned about for our home network is spreading malware. Devices connected to a router can transmit malware to other devices on that network, just like computer networks. A member of your household can unknowingly install malware on their devices by visiting websites to stream videos, downloading software from harmful websites, and clicking on links in their email from unknown senders. Ultimately, the infection will spread to all the machines on your home network.

Password Cracking

Ninety percent of home networks have routers broadcasting their SSID (your wifi name) for anyone to find, which can make any home network a target for password cracking. Password cracking occurs when someone finds your wifi network, guesses your password combination, and gains access to your router. Once they have that, it is easy for them to hack into other devices on the network or reconfigure the router settings.

Information Theft

One of the worst things that could happen is the theft of your personal information via your home network. When connected to your home network, you enter personal information into your devices when visiting websites; personal information such as banking information, social security numbers, healthcare information, and many other types of information a scammer would like to have. Once someone has obtained access to your home network, they will be able to eavesdrop on your computer sessions and steal this information as you browse the web.

How to protect your home network

1) Always change your router username and password

Avoid using the default SSID and default password. Hackers can identify what type of router you are using via the SSID, and then they can look up the default password to gain access to the network if you neglect to change the default login credentials. Making the router name more unique and creating a complex password can make it difficult for someone to hack into your network. Another layer of defense would be to disable SSID broadcasting so that people cannot find your wifi network easily. You will still be able to find the wifi network if you know the SSID before you disable broadcasting.

2) Update Router Firmware

Routers have firmware, a software that provides low-level control for the device's hardware. A common example of this is the software used in your remote control or a standalone camera. Like any other computing device that runs on firmware, routers contain security vulnerabilities. Over time developers find these issues and release security patches to address these issues; you can patch these security vulnerabilities by updating the router firmware. Routinely applying firmware updates can reduce vulnerabilities found on your home network and limit the ways hackers can attack you. Therefore, you must manually apply these updates in many cases.

3) Enable all of your routers anti-malware features

Most routers come with some security options that can be enabled or disabled. Set aside time to adjust your router settings to match the desired security level. One of the things you want to look for is using the best encryption method available; Wi-FI Protected Access 2 (WPA2) is the best. Second, confirm that the firewall is enabled and set to the strictest setting that does not interfere with your daily usage. Enable any general anti-malware features to help protect your home network from unauthorized access.

How VPNs can protect you on your home network

Let us assume that you have taken at least some of the steps above to secure your home network. A common workaround that causes people's home networks to get hacked is not using a VPN when they are in public. Hackers know that places like a cafe or a library have weak security and will often use that as a chance to hack into your device. If they are successful, hackers can use compromised devices to later hack into your home network. Any malware placed on your machine can be spread to your other personal devices once the affected machine reconnects to the home network. Using a VPN when accessing the internet via public wifi networks is important for protecting yourself from data leaks as well as potential infection. VPNs can encrypt data and hide your location while you are on an unsecured network. Also, most modern VPNs offer some malware protection as well. VPNs prevent hackers from stealing your information and reduce the risk of using public wifi networks. Source @ security made simple

Recap

A network consists of laptops, game consoles, mobile phones, and desktops; devices connecting to the home wifi network. Home networks are targets for hackers like any other network and need to be protected from cyber threats. The main threats you need to be worried about are malware spreading amongst devices, wifi password cracking, and information theft. These threats obtain access to your wifi network via compromising the router or one of the devices that connect to the network—applying the firmware updates, changing your router's default login, and enabling any available anti-malware solutions to protect your router. To protect the individual devices that use your home network, you want to make sure that you use a VPN whenever you use a public wifi network. Practicing this will help protect your information from being stolen, and most modern VPNs also offer some malware protection while using unsecured networks. Using a VPN will limit the chances of these devices becoming infected and bringing that infection back to your home network when it reconnects.