Securing Wifi Routers With A VPN

We often use wireless routers without stopping to consider whether adequate measures have been taken to keep one’s data safe. Be it at home, office, or in public places, there is a perpetual and credible threat of being hacked which needs to be addressed.

Understanding the threat

Everything digital can be hacked into today. Most people educate themselves about hacking methods only after falling victim to the malicious practice. Today, taking precautionary measures against security breaches is an imperative for everybody. Computers, phones, tablets and other devices come with factory-installed security settings and are not easy to gain unauthorized access into directly. For this reason, hackers prey on their complementary devices and connections which are least secured (e.g. routers) in order to infiltrate them. Personal information such as usernames and passwords are often stolen to gain access to private accounts of all types with the intent to cause further harm e.g. identity theft. Cyber attacks are not limited to just theft and espionage though. They also include the dissemination of viruses, worms, trojans, and other malware. IP tracking may seem harmless to some, but should be a concern for most. It is estimated that over 1.5 million people are affected by various cyber crimes every day.

Most home and office routers are WPA protected and are relatively safe. However, open public networks like WiFi hotspots often found in cafes for instance, are highly susceptible to malicious schemes. While using them, one has to take extra precautions. It is up to the individual to secure one’s personal information. Apart from setting up firewalls and being wary of fake networks, there are several measures one can take to prevent one’s devices from getting hacked. In this article you can find out how a virtual private network (VPN) helps keep your connection secure.

VPN

Venturing into the internet directly through an unencrypted location puts one at risk. A Virtual Private Network ensures that the traffic between the device one uses and a server is encrypted. It provides appropriate security where basic network infrastructure fails to do so. It prevents IP tracking as well to ensure personal anonymity. Since hackers cannot take what they cannot find, this feature alone goes a long way in preventing cyber crime. One can purchase a router with built-in VPN software to minimize effort, or one can buy a personal VPN service and set it up.