- Window Synder - Chief Security Officer at Square Inc.
Wireless networks are an integral part of businesses. While they generally make our lives easier, they might also – in the worst-case scenario – provide open access to all your files and those of your company. Why is that? Let’s take a look.
Whether you are using a wireless network at home or a business network, the risks network are the same. Below are the risks and threats you'll face in using wireless networks.
Have you heard about DoS and DDoS? You may well know something about them in advance, and the following video will help you broaden your knowledge. Take the test after watching the video.
How does it seem, was everything clear? A denial-of-service (DoS) attack floods a server with traffic, making websites or resources really difficult to use or even completely unavailable. A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack is a DoS attack that uses multiple computers or machines to flood a targeted resource – in essence, there are multiple devices targeting a single one. Both types of attacks overload a server or web application with the goal of interrupting services.
Wireless networks are simple to use, and strong safety measures can make it a bit more complicated to connect. The sacrifice is worth it, though. Memorize the following tips and stay safe!
Change the default password
Most of the wireless devices are pre-configured with a default password for the device setup. It is always recommended to change the default passwords of wireless devices, but many users leave them unchanged. Always use a strong and complex password for the wireless devices as they are difficult to guess and hard to brute-force.
Change Service Set Identifier (SSID)
Always change your SSID – the network’s name as seen on the connecting device – to a unique name, as the default SSID could help the attacker to identify the device type and exploit the known vulnerabilities. For more protection, you should hide your SSID visibility from the public. This will make it difficult for adversaries to find the network.
Enable Network Encryption
There are several wireless encryption protocols available in the wireless devices, such as WPA, WPA2, and WPA3, which encrypt the data sent over between the wireless devices and the router/access point. If you are the admin of the network, make sure to apply all security measures available.
Update the software
Always update the wireless router or access point software, as the device manufacturers send periodic updates and patches for the software and hardware firmware.
Stay Off Public Wi-Fi
Never use public wireless networks, even if free, accessible for everyone access points may seem tempting. They are often not that well protected, though, and can thus facilitate the process of hacking into your valuable data.