If you want to keep your network secure then you should keep on reading. With networking technology being more complex than it was before. It can be hard for first time network users to secure their computers. This short guide aims to teach you how to secure your network. Before calling a Norton number, read and follow the tips below to protect your network’s privacy:
1. Change administrator passwords and usernames regularly.
The core part of a network is the router or access point. In order to gain access to these points and connect to various equipment and computers in a network, network equipment manufacturers provide web pages and web tools that act as user interface which users enter their network address and account information. These interfaces are protected by login screens that prompt users to enter their username and password. Hackers are experienced in illegally gaining access to a person’s username and password. Changing your username and passwords regularly can reduce the occurrences of getting your login information hacked.
2. Take advantage of WEP/WPA encryption feature in your network equipment.
Majority of manufactured network equipment can support various encryption technologies. Encryption is a technology that makes messages hard or impossible to read by humans. This is used to protect data being sent over a network from illegal access. There are different types of data encryption each with different protection strength. With this, you may want to choose the strongest encryption for your network. However, this will not work if all your equipment and computers do not have the same encryption setting. Make sure each device in your network has the same encryption setting.
3. Do not forget to change the default SSID of your router.
All routers have the same SSID. While knowing the default SSID of your access point may not be enough to access a network, it can give hackers a good start on penetrating your network especially when it has poor security configurations. Make sure you change your router’s SSID while configuring your network’s security settings.
4. Enabling the MAC address restriction of your router is a must.
Each computer and equipment in your network has a unique address or identifier called the MAC address. These addresses are used by your router to keep track of all the devices that connect to it. Majority of network products lets the owner set restrictions on which devices are allowed to gain access to the network through the use of MAC address limits. While hackers can still get past this security feature with the use of fake MAC addresses, it does help add more security to your network.
5. Using dynamic IP addresses may not always be a good idea.
Majority of home network owners find it easy to use dynamic IP addresses since they do not need elaborated configurations. Dynamic IP addresses are generated and used by a technology called DHCP. While convenient, it can be a disadvantage for you when it comes to securing your network. Hackers can easily access your network by simply obtaining valid IP addresses from your DHCP pool of addresses. To fix this problem, disable the DHCP technology on your router and set a fixed IP address range. After doing this, configure each connected device to match the IP address range that you have set.
While these basic tips are more than enough to get you started, keep in mind that your network can never be too secure. Always keep your security systems updated, and continuously learn and apply latest security configurations that are recommended by experts.
(This Article is a guest post Provide by, Julie Fernandez)
About Author:
Julie Fernandez is a passionate blogger from London. As she is fascinated about technology, she loves to write article on it. As off now she is doing research on Norton guide. She suggests everyone to have Norton Number in order to protect their apps from hacking and cybercrimes.
Nice Article
In point number 2, you should specifically advise not to use WEP. It is not considered secure.