Mobility and work as well as convenience considerations have encouraged most of us to get rid of the cables and use Wi-Fi to connect to and use the net. This has made us vulnerable to cyber criminals who can snoop and hack their way into our connections and steal personal, and financial data for their profit. The downside is the broadcasting…the image that comes to mind is turning a light on at night: It can be seen at a distance no matter where one stands.
TheWindowsClub published an article about this topic and how to fix your Public Wi-Fi and Home Network Wi-Fi vulnerabilities.
For Public Wi-Fi:
1. Make sure File and Printer sharing is turned off. (Right click on the Internet icon in System Tray and click on Open Network and Sharing settings. From there, go to Advanced Sharing settings and turn off File and printer sharing.
2. NEVER use one for working on confidential information, be it financial or work related.
3. If you HAVE to use a website which needs information such as your Social Security number, Medicare number, or credit/debit card information, use a VPN service (some are better than others) and realize that as with software, “free” VPNs are generally weaker than “paid services”. The article’s author recommended “SpotFlux”. I recommend doing some research and deciding for yourself.
For Home Wi-Fi
1. Turn off WPS (WiFi Protected Setup). Open the router setup page. You can find out how to do that on the router’s manufacturer’s website. If you’re confident, browse the tabs in the router’s setup page.
2. Use a strong password, using random strings of characters. You can write it down and keep it somewhere safe.
3. Check the security protocol: It should be WPA2 (some call it WPA/WPA2), and it’s available in the router configuration page.
4. If you’re on W10, turn off WiFi Sense.
These steps should reduce the chances of getting hacked, but they won’t eliminate them all.
If you have additional suggestions, please add them in your comments.
Source:
http://www.thewindowsclub.com/public-home-wifi-networks-vulnerabilities