DON’T let your Wi-Fi router allow snoopers, piggybackers and criminals into your home.
A leading cyber-expert has revealed three common mistakes that anyone with Wi-Fi must avoid making.
Some of the most sensitive things you’ll ever do pass through your Wi-Fi router.
And an increasing number of the gadgets and appliances in your home rely on Wi-Fi to work properly.
But if you make Wi-Fi router mistakes, you could end up with people stealing your Wi-Fi, hacking into your home network, and spying on what you do.
Speaking to The U.S. Sun, Dr Klaus Schenk, vice president of security at Verimatrix, revealed some of the most common mistakes people make with their home Wi-Fi.
Bad passwords
One of the most common problems is using a bad Wi-Fi password.
Dr Schenk advises you to have a complicated password with high “entropy” – so strange, unpredictable and very hard to guess.
“Using short and static passwords with low entropy, which makes it easier for hackers to crack your password,” Dr Schenk told us.
Picking a simple word or phrase simply won’t cut it – and avoid choosing something with relevance to your life, like the place you live or a birthday.
This is extremely dangerous, as it means someone could break into your Wi-Fi network without even being inside your house.
Poor settings
Another big problem is using the wrong Wi-Fi settings.
You can change the level of security that your Wi-Fi routers in a matter of seconds.
And you’ll want to be using a recent standard like WPA3, or WPA2 if that’s not available.
“Using outdated standards of Wi-Fi security, such as WEP, which are no longer considered secure and can be easily cracked,” Dr Schenk warned.
Log in to your Wi-Fi router by typing http://192.168.1.1 into a web browser and hitting enter.
Then you’ll be able to change your Wi-Fi security settings.
Paper fail
Finally, Dr Schenk warns against having your Wi-Fi details written down anywhere.
This also includes the sticker or code-card that might come with your router.
“Writing passwords down on paper and leaving them near the device, which can allow anyone who has access to the physical space to easily gain access to your Wi-Fi network,” Dr Schenk warned.
If you absolutely need to write it down, put the piece of paper in a very safe place – and not right next to your router.
