Getting a new internet connection surely makes one excited. The joy of spending hours streaming Netflix endlessly and the anticipation of playing online games without a speck of jitter or lag. We can feel joy. However, despite having a high-speed internet connection, we bring our internet security and network performance at risk by leaving doors open to hackers, phishing attackers, and network security breaches.
But this isn’t an unavoidable dilemma. Many ways can help you keep your internet connection security intact. Here are a few to know.
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a). Pick a strong wireless network password
Hackers lurking on the World Wide Web won’t use a mere guessing game to crack down your password but if you choose the most basic of passwords for your wireless network, a mere guess would work too. That’s why if you don’t want to put your wireless network by your router manufacturer at risk, pick a strong password of 20 characters which includes uppercase letters, symbols, and even a few numbers thrown here and there. Now that will make it one difficult password to crack.
b). Make sure router firmware is updated
An outdated router is a bigger threat than keeping a weak network password. Time and again, you have to check if you are connecting all your household devices to a secure wireless network or not. If the firmware is outdated, the network can be easily infiltrated by hackers. Keep the router firmware updated and run update checks to see if you are running on the latest security patch.
c). Enable router encryption
The latest generation of routers comes built-in with network encryption features. However, it doesn’t turn on automatically rather you have to enable it manually. That’s one feature many router owners remain unaware of. Go to the router encryption settings in your dedicated router and choose WPA2 to encrypt the router. For the encryption to be successful, you are required to enter your wireless network password/key.
d). Resort to a Virtual Private Network (VPN)
When working remotely, it’s never recommended to carry out work-related tasks on your private home network. The possibility of a security breach is still there despite being reduced to a minimum. There are several VPNs you can test out but make sure you pick a paid one, as free ones can be dodgy. Once you add a VPN client to your system, all the activities you shall carry out will be confined to that virtual network and to the developers who have access to it. No features of your computer security will be put at risk.
e). Use a firewall for your network
You can put a forever halt to security infiltration with a firewall. Here’s you can get one for your computer as well as for your router but now most router types come integrated with a firewall. You only have to check whether it’s enabled or not as most routers don’t have it enabled by default. Turn on the router’s firewall and then carry on with your online activities without worry. If you are looking to install a new one, make sure you have carefully done your research as a cheap or free firewall would do the rather opposite for you.
f). To conclude
When connecting to a new internet connection or adding multiple devices to a wireless network, don’t think that only your computer system is to be protected. You can add a costly anti-virus to your system and expect it to handle every security shortcoming for you but now you know that’s not entirely the case. But if you want to take care of both ends of a spectrum then there’s one internet provider which can help. Call Spectrum to connect yourself to a secure internet connection that comes with a full-fledged security suite. If not and if you have something other planned, you can check that out as well as long as you are familiar with the security steps to take care of.