Do not expose your network otherwise hackers will get a hold of it and do all sorts with your private data. Keep it safe, Keep it secure!

We have all heard of hackers, and what they are capable of doing, the simple way to prevent them is not to give them anything to feed off. If you are not familiar with the term “hacker”, an example in the tech industry is the Mikeyy worm (hacker name: Michael Mooney) who breached the popular micro-blogging service, Twitter.

You would be quite amazed at how easily you can be compromised, lots of computer networks tend to be vulnerable and are so easily hacked.

You would have thought that, the way technology is advancing, the networking region would have become more efficient and safe. But you would be mistaken. A few years ago, only people who were advanced and cautious about their computer networking and had sufficient know-how, would set up networks. Therefore, they could keep to keep any hackers at bay, at least from their network.

Nowadays, anyone and everyone set up home networks. There are now, many more “newbie’s” in comparison to advanced networkers. People tend to go through the network installation process ignoring any software/hardware protection; likely to be using a basic set-up which, as we know can be their biggest downfall. Another 10 minutes of a user’s time, exploring how to secure their network, is the defining moment which makes your network hack-proof or not.

What would happen if you are compromised? It isn’t too bad, is it?

Your unguarded network could lead to:

- Crackers (expert hackers) can connect to your private data.

- Offenses that you didn’t even comit, as hackers can make it look like it was you. Violating the  DDoS (distributed denial of service attack.)

- Someone could download off your network constantly, making you exceed your download limit, thus being charged excessive amounts of money by your Internet Service Provider.

Well, that’s a small list of ways of how badly things could turn out for you, as a result of being hacked. Let’s move onto  a more positive note, and address how to stop this from occuring!

Home Networking – Hardware Security

“Home networks” often refers to more than two devices, one directly connected to the internet, the other part of the network.  These devices could be associated with your network as well as many others,

• Cable or DSL modems

• Printers

• Routers

• Firewalls

• Smartphone

• VoIP (Voice over Internet protocol) phones

• Games Consoles (PS3, Xbox, Wii)

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of a strong, unique password. You will be less likely to be hacked if your password is secure (i.e. contains different types of characters and is 9+ characters long. When setting up a password, do not make it about a place, name or any other common words, as people will try to guess them and may end up guessing correctly. In any case, if you choose such a password, it probably won’t have be complex enough and can be hacked easily.

Take the time to choose a contrasting password for each piece of hardware, as it will keep your network security levels sky high!

Firewalls and Routers

Firewalls are remarkably useful in protecting your home network. They are part of the network, which aids in you in tracking the events between your internet connection and network. It has the ability to block any permitted access in an attempt to stop people breaching your network. Firewall security settings are genuinely there to help you, not irritate you, so the more the settings that are limited, the more protected you are from hackers, though many users find it quite aggravating as it can block your favourite and frequently used sites from time to time.

Routers are the most important fragment of hardware you need to configure, in order to have an impenetrable home network. You must set a healthy, unthinkable admin password and, remember to enable encryption. Generally, conventional routers have two encryption options, WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) and WEP ( Wired Equivalent Privacy.) If given the choice, always go for WPA as it is more secure.

Home Networking- Software Security

In order to maxmize protection, we recommend you take a look at a couple of software applications,

• Anti-virus software such as AVG
• Anti-spyware programs such as Ad-Aware

Anti-Virus software helps avert and remove all kinds of dangerous malware such as Trojans and Worms, which you could really do without However, do not go over the top with these applications meaning you shouldn’t have more than one antivirus program installed, as it will slow down your computer speed  and will install unnecessary updates.  To keep on top of your home security, make sure you run a full-scan every couple of days to ensure there are no viruses and hackers lurking.

An appealing fact was published in an article I read saying that hackers, tend to go for Windows Operating Systems as the majority of the public use Windows, so if you’re a Mac or Linux user you are , to some degree, less in danger, but Windows users, please make sure you have an anti-virus running at all times.

Web Browser Security Settings

Yet another way to boost your security, is to disable cookies and java applications which for many people, soon becomes malware in their web browsers. Though, some sites will be blocked as the administrative settings do not think it is suitable, but you should abide by them, as it will still block other sites which are harmful to you.

Lastly, if you tend to go away on business trips or holidays out of town, it is a good idea to turn off your internet router in your absence, because it will not show up on any hacker radars so your data is safer than it could be, and so there is no method of you being breached in that time period. Good idea, with minimal effort giving great results

I know that all these home networking remarks may be evident to most, but it is very surprising that many people forget these basic tips. These are not hard to do and to keep on track, but it may slip to the back of a computer user’s mind and will result in malware or possibly,a gap for a hacker to fill.

Thank you for reading!Please feel free to post any feedback concerning this tutorial, and any additional tips on how to protect your home network!

Tags: crackers, firewall, hack, Hardware Security, Home Network, malware, network, networking, protection, router, Software Security, Tutorial, Web Browser Security