Autumn Years Fall 2023

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS

CHANGE THE WI-FI NETWORK PASSWORD Your Wi-Fi network may also have a predefined password—usually a random string of letters and numbers—to get de vices online. Like your router setting login, these can typically be found somewhere on the router. These are usually fairly secure. How ever, it is a good practice to change the details every so often to maximize security. You can do this by accessing your router settings (see the first tip). DEACTIVATE WPS Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) is available on many but not all routers. WPS makes it much easier to connect wireless devices to the network—simply push the button marked WPS on the router, and you can connect without entering a password. Some experts have complained that WPS is not fully secure, particularly if nefarious types have physical access to your equipment. That is unlikely, of course, but the risk can be fully removed by simply deactivating WPS in your router settings. By default, most Wi-Fi networks broad cast their names, so you can simply scan for accessible connections on whatever device you are using. One way you can increase security is to block scanning using your router settings. This is more secure because people then cannot detect your network. DON’T BROADCAST YOUR WI-FI NET WORK NAME (SSID)

T he pandemic has left many Americans working in a space that they did not expect—their homes. And, unfortunately that space is an easy target, and cyberattacks are on the rise. That is because the technology most Americans use every day in their homes is insufficiently secure and protected. Once, a home was typically set up to support a household that primarily surfed the web to shop and watch movies. Now, family computing environments have taken on the added and often permanent stresses of being home offices. The first place to start implementing proper tech security is with your home’s router. Here are some tips to help you do that.

a combination of lower- and upper-case letters, symbols and numbers that are not easily guessed. Avoid using “password” as your password, for example, or your telephone number or house address. CHANGE THE WI-FI NETWORK NAME By default, your Wi-Fi network will prob ably have a provider-related SSID (the name that shows up when scanning for connections on a device). For example, if you have FIOS, it may look something like “FIOS-W56FZ.” Alternatively, it may start with the name of your router manufac turer—such as Belkin or Netgear. One drawback of not changing this default name is that any would-be attack ers can find out the type of router you are using. That means they can determine the type of exploits to use to get access. Change the name to avoid this problem. However, do not use any personal informa tion that can identify you.

CHANGE YOUR ROUTER USERNAME AND PASSWORD Every provider’s router comes with a predetermined username and password. It is typically printed on a label somewhere on the device. Unfortunately, many people stick with this default login. In fact, most people do not even realize that the login can or should be changed. However, the standard username and password that comes out-of-the-box on these devices is often fairly well-known. Consequently, they are not considered secure. To combat this, change them. Here is how to do that. The label on your router will tell you how to access your router settings. Typi cally, you must type an address into a web browser. The exact address will vary de pending on your router, but it is something like 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1. Once there, you will be able to change the username and password. Just make sure that it is at least eight characters/digits long and uses

58 AUTUMN YEARS I FALL 2023