How to prevent your Internet being stolen and someone accessing your router.
There are many factors that can influence Internet speed. The router we have has an influence, the contracted rate, whether we connect by cable or Wi-Fi, our device … But without any doubt something important is also security. The fact that there are intruders in our network can mean that the connection is slow, unstable and cause problems. Therefore, it is important to take into account certain tips to prevent it from not working as we would like. In this blog we are going to give some important recommendations to avoid being robbed of the Internet and accessing the router.
The router, a basic piece to have Internet
The router is the fundamental piece to be able to connect to the Internet. Therefore, maintaining security and preventing possible intruders from accessing it will be critical. It is very important to keep this in mind and not make mistakes that could weaken security and open the door to the possible entry of intruders.
Focusing security on the router can help us maintain Internet speed. That is why we are going to give a series of tips with which we are going to improve security and prevent the Internet from being stolen. Also, at the same time, we will make the connection work fast and smooth.
There are many attacks that can be carried out against our router. It is something similar to any other device that we have connected to the network. However, we can also take steps to prevent it. We have at our disposal a wide range of things that we can put into practice.
Improve Wi-Fi security:
1.-Change factory settings
Something basic that we all have to do is change the factory settings of our router. Usually when we acquire a new device it comes with a serial name, a password, a key to access the device … All of this can be a danger if we keep it as is.
Hackers use dictionaries with the most typical passwords or algorithms commonly used by manufacturers. If we do not change the password to the router, for example, they could easily access the typical one that comes standard, which is usually of the type admin, admin. Could be a mistake to keep it.
The same if we leave the name of the Wi-Fi network, which generally refers to the Internet operator or the router model. This, in addition to affecting our privacy, is also giving clues to a possible hacker. It is always advisable to change these values as soon as possible.
2.- Put a correct encryption
Of course you have to use correct encryption. It is not worth putting any password and type of encryption. We already know that old and outdated ciphers, such as WEP, can easily be broken.
Our advice is to use ciphers like WPA2, until the use of WPA3 spreads. In this way we will have the highest possible security in our Wi-Fi passwords. Always create keys that are totally random, long, and contain letters (uppercase and lowercase), numbers, and other special characters.
We must avoid putting words or digits that relate us. Many users tend to create passwords that are easy to remember, but this is a mistake. We can use password managers for this and thus manage the keys better.
3.- Always keep the router updated
Sometimes vulnerabilities can arise that affect our device. This could lead to the Internet being stolen from us at home and they can access the router. Therefore, you always have to have the latest versions and patches installed.
Our advice is to always keep the router firmware perfectly up to date. In this way we will solve possible vulnerabilities that put our security at risk. Possible bugs that compromise the device and allow possible intruders must be patched.
4.- Disable WPS
The latest routers already have WPS disabled. However if we have an older model we may have it active. This could lead to a security problem.
Our advice is to disable it whenever possible. In this way we can add an extra layer of security and avoid intruders on our network.
5.- Turn off the router if you are going to be away for a long time
Time can play against us. For example, to carry out a brute force attack takes time. What happens with this is that if, for example, we are going to be outside for a long time, a possible intruder could take advantage of it to initiate attacks until they achieve their objective. We would not realize that the Internet is really being stolen from us by not being at home.
Therefore our advice is to turn off the router whenever we are going to be away from home for long periods. For example if we are going to go on vacation and we do not want unpleasant surprises.
6.- Periodically check for intruders
Finally, an interesting tip to prevent the Internet from being stolen is to simply check periodically for intruders. We can access the router and see the latest connections, check what devices are connected, etc.
Do not forget either that Tiekom offers you the best services for your home: Telecommunications (internet and mobile), energy, Television of your country and security systems. You can find all the information about our company and our services on the Tiekom website or by email: sales@tiekom.com In all cases we will be happy to help you.