Secure Your Internet Connection Against Hackers

If you have never done anything to create a secure internet connection with your home network, it’s almost 100% certain that one day you’ll wish you had. Here are the facts. Most US households have around ten devices connected to their home Wi-Fi network. This gives hackers several options when they start sniffing around, looking to do bad things.

We probably don’t need to go into the down-and-dirty details of what a hacker can accomplish when they set their mind to it right now. That will come later. We only have to look at the headlines on any random day to see the dozens and hundreds of companies that have had their networks breached and data stolen, erased, or held for ransom.   

The same thing happens to people like you on a smaller scale. The only difference is individuals don’t get the headlines. The good news is that it’s not hard to learn how to secure an internet connection to the extent that a hacker will move on past, looking for an easier target. 

A lesser-known side effect of hacked networks bogged down with malware, viruses, and other hacker detritus is that your connections can become achingly slow for even the simplest online tasks. 

What kind of data do hackers want to steal? The kind you don’t want them to have! Personal information is such a generic term. What do we mean? Here are some of the most sought-after data:

• Passwords
• Credit card numbers
• Social security info
• Financial trading info
• Account info
• Medical info

One of the primary goals is to gain access to a variety of accounts. It could be anything. Maybe you have online banking set up. Perhaps shopping accounts with your favorite stores. Maybe Amazon. 

While trying to smash their way into an account, they will likely skim your computer and internet history for seemingly random bits of information like your favorite sports team, pet’s name, parents' name, schools you attended, or where you were born. All this can be useful for resetting passwords and penetrating accounts.

A common hacker's goal is to steal or encrypt your data. That’s where ransomware comes in. If a bad guy or gal is able to install this type of malware on your device, they can encrypt data on the entire network and demand you pay money to have it released. Or they might just delete it for fun. 

Sounds like all bad news so far. The good news is that creating and maintaining a secure home Wi-Fi network is not a complicated process. You don’t need to be a cybersecurity expert. There are a series of simple steps that anyone who can get online should be able to accomplish. While nothing guarantees you won’t be hacked, implementing a basic security plan greatly reduces the odds of that happening.

As we mentioned, the goal is not to become bulletproof like Superman. All you need to do is make your network a bit harder to hack than the average internet user, and a hacker will move on to an easier target because there are plenty of them out there.

Defining a Computer Hacker

We keep saying the word “hacker,” and the media likes to throw it around a lot, but what exactly does it mean? Initially, it didn’t have such a negative connotation. Let’s look at the root, “hack.” This merely refers to a person with sufficient technical skills to gain access to a computer device or network to affect changes or access data.

A hacker could be a person who hacks into broken or malfunctioning devices to fix them. Of course, that’s not what we’re talking about here. For this article’s purposes, a hacker is a person who gains unauthorized access to data to do bad things with it - like steal it, delete it, hold it hostage, or even use it to accomplish other illegal things. As opposed to the good guy white hat hackers, the hackers in this article are all black hat.

You will be working to keep these people out of your home network.

Who is at Risk from Hackers?

This question has an easy answer. If you go online at all, you’re at risk. There’s no safe zone and no magic switch that offers complete protection. The two areas hackers focus on the most are network weaknesses and the human element. It might or might not surprise you that human fallibility is typically the leading cause of successful hacks. We’ll get more into that in a bit.

Understanding Network Vulnerability

Network vulnerability arises anywhere a device connects to the internet. Each of these connections represents an opportunity for a hacker to break in. So, when we say that the average household has ten connected Wi-Fi devices, that means there are ten places a hacker can look to penetrate your network.

To dig a bit deeper into network vulnerability, the first thing a hacker looks for is unsecured Wi-Fi access or a firewall that is malfunctioning or unprotected. Both of these serve as easy front doors to walk through. 

Typical home networks bring the internet in through a cord that is plugged into the back of a wireless router. The router broadcasts the internet signal wirelessly to nearby devices. Each device must log into the network to use it. A big gaping hole in most home network security is the simple router password set at the factory is never changed.

When we say simple, we mean things like “123456” or “111111.” 

Overcoming the Human Element

Humans have always been the weakest link in cybersecurity and always will be. According to a study by IBM, 95% of successful attacks can be attributed to “bad user practices.” Bad user practices simply mean it was a mistake, inattention, bad decision-making, or willful malice that let the hacker in.

The human element is why phishing and its various permutations are so popular. They rely on humans being gullible. That has proven to be a safe bet for all of human history.

The Bad Things That Hackers Do

Hackers aren’t just pests. They commit acts that create actual financial losses to real people and companies. Companies have been forced into bankruptcy, personal credit has been ruined, and schools have been forced to close their doors due to hacking.

To put a number to all this, global losses from cybercrime reached nearly $1 trillion in 2020. This colossal number was built on the back of millions of instances of companies and individuals being taken advantage of in one way or another. So, while it’s easy to see these losses as a number on the news, real people are being hurt.

You could be next.  

The following are some real-world examples of how hackers approach their daily work.

Stealing User Names and Passwords: Straight-up theft of a username and password combo is easy money. Too often, we make it even easier by choosing simple, easily-guessed passwords. These days they don’t even have to come up with their guesses. Any good hacker has in their arsenal a “brute force” algorithm that can sit at the front door to your account and guess millions of credential combos quickly.

Open Financial Accounts in Your Name: A popular trick here is to open a credit card or other financial account in your name and then use it to go on a spending spree. By the time you figure out what’s going on, they’ve got a pile of goodies, and you’re stuck with the bill.

Ruin Your Credit: If you have the previous scheme perpetrated on you, ruined credit is the likely result. While you probably will be able to get it all sorted out eventually, it might only be after much time and heartache.

Add Themselves as an Authorized User: Rather than open up a completely new credit card in your name, they might opt for adding themselves as an authorized user on your account and have a card mailed to them. Same result. Bad for you.

Use/Abuse Social Security Number: Social security scams never go out of style because the victims are typically older, less cyber-savvy, and more likely to trust a voice of “authority.” A current common scam is to call or email a Social Security recipient posing as someone from the agency. The potential victim will be threatened with legal action unless they send a payment that day via phone or through a phony website designed to look like the official Social Security website. 

Sell Your Information: Almost any personalized information can be sold on the Dark Web. Current high-value data includes credit card details, banking logins, and hacked credit cards with the CVV.

Install Malware on Your Devices: The insidious thing about malware is that it is usually months before it is detected. In the meantime, hackers can sift through your device and collect anything.

Launch Attacks from Your Computer: With malware installed on your device, a hacker can launch further attacks using your computer or phone as part of the attack. Once again, you might not know your device is being used to attack other people.

Secure Your Internet Connection

Hopefully, the picture we have just painted is grim enough to motivate you to take action. Hackers are real, and they cause real damage. If you have never been hacked, that means every day brings you one day closer to the time that you likely will. Approximately 30,000 websites get hacked daily. It’s just a numbers game, and yours will come up one day.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Keep reading and learn the preventative steps you can take to create a secure wireless internet connection that makes it much harder for a hacker to get into your network.

Protect Your Computers

As we said earlier, you don’t need to be a technical wiz to implement any of these security tips. Here are a handful of practical, simple actions to tend to immediately.

Use a Firewall

A firewall is software that sits between your router and the internet and looks to squash any attempts at unauthorized access or intrusion and can even watch for viruses and other forms of malware. The critical thing to remember is to have the firewall operational before you connect to the internet for the first time.

Routers and modems often have a firewall already built-in. If not, you can buy one from a company like Cisco. Remember that you can also use more than one firewall at a time. If this is unfamiliar territory, call your internet service provider (ISP) and have a tech talk you through the process of figuring out what you have, what you need, and how to turn it on.

Use Complex Passwords

Thanks to the automated password-guessing software we mentioned, a short, easy password can be guessed in minutes. There are no hard and fast rules, but, in general, the longer and more complex, the better. Make sure you have:

• At least eight characters
• Use uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and computer symbols
• Don’t use the same password in different places
• Stay away from obvious combinations like your birthday, etc.

Part of the problem with passwords gets back to the human element. We hate creating unique, complex passwords for each of the dozens of places we have to log into daily. Here’s a tip. Get a password manager. It will do the heavy lifting of creating and storing unbreakable passwords. All you have to do is remember the password to the manager. Simple.

Protect Your Router

Routers are notoriously weak on security. The actions you should take here are to log into the router online during setup and create a strong password. Also, rename the router and network, and enable encryption. Most people don’t take the time to perform these simple steps that will keep hackers out of your network. Remember to check periodically to update your router’s software with new defenses against recent malware.

Use a VPN

A virtual private network (VPN) is a great idea to install on all your devices and even the router. VPN software encrypts your data so that it can't be read even if it is stolen. You buy priceless peace of mind for less than ten dollars per month (some legit companies have products at only $2 or $3 bucks per month).

While creating a secure internet connection with a free VPN is possible, you’re better off getting one of the subscriptions we just mentioned. Remember, if the product has no cost, you are the product. Free VPNs have been known to collect subscriber emails and sell them to marketers. This explains why you might suddenly be inundated with solicitations that seem to come out of the blue.

These days, VPNs like ExpressVPN are quite simple to buy and install. Find any VPN review site and compare the top recommendations. Go to the companies' sites and check them out. Most offer a free trial. You can cancel it at no charge if you don’t like it. Once you subscribe, simply download and install the software. Activating it has become as simple as a big ON/OFF button in most instances.

Protect Your Mobile Devices

We left the Age of the Desktop behind us long ago. Most of us carry the internet around in the form of a smartphone or tablet. Convenient, but it also means that hackers have now set their sights on hacking into the data carried around on THOSE devices. Here are some preventative measures to keep in mind when going mobile.

Be Selective With Public Wi-Fi

Public Wi-Fi (hotspots), like those found at your favorite coffee shop or fast food establishment, are handy. They also tend to be lightly secured, if at all. This means you should not use them to conduct critical business like checking bank accounts or making credit card purchases. Save that for your secure home network.

A VPN subscription lets you install the service on multiple devices at one price. Securing your mobile device like this is a great idea. Meanwhile, don’t let your phone automatically connect to public Wi-Fi. Make sure you have your VPN turned on and then connect to the Wi-Fi. And still, don’t check critical personal or financial info in a public space.

Be Selective With Apps

It’s easy to get in the habit of throwing any old app on your phone. You should only download an app from one of the official stores or a proven trustworthy site. Hackers love to give away apps loaded with malware to gullible (there’s that word again) people. To be safe, stick to vetted apps from the app stores.

This is another place you should accept and install updates as soon as they become available. If there’s an app (or twenty) on your device that you don’t use, uninstall and delete it. That’s one less avenue of attack for a hacker to use.

Be Proactive

It’s a cruel reality. Phones get lost, stolen, or left in the back seat of a Greyhound bus headed to Poughkeepsie, New York. What do you do to protect yourself if you physically lose control of your device? There are a couple of options to explore here.

If you think you’ve simply lost your phone, make sure to have locator software installed on it. You can check its location from another phone or connected device. This won’t work after your phone dies, so don’t dilly-dally around. If you suspect you’ve lost it, get on the software quickly.

When a phone is stolen, that’s a different issue. You want to lock your data down from being compromised, and do it quickly. Luckily, there’s software for that too. Depending on which you go with, you should be able to remotely encrypt your data or even delete it if you prefer that route.

Final Thoughts

If you have made it this far, thanks for taking a whirlwind trip through understanding the danger posed by hackers and how you can take a few simple actions to protect yourself. The critical thing to understand is the exponential amount of protection you gain from these easy measures.

Most people are too lazy or shortsighted to do these things. Sadly, many of you will fall into this category and will likely pay the price down the road. Prove us wrong! Of all internet users, probably 98% take no security precautions. Just doing the few things mentioned in this article can push you up to the 2% and make you much less likely to fall victim to a hacker.

If you’re looking for a more secure internet option that focuses on security, check out our up-to-date list of providers who will help you create the kind of safe and secure connection that protects you and your family from the worst hackers have to offer.