In such a scenario, a rogue computer captures the traffic between a user computer or a phone and the Wi-Fi router and can read usernames, passwords, emails, and other sensitive information. For instance, your neighbor can connect to your WiFi and use your internet for free.
Or you may connect to the free WiFi in the cafe or hotel, but someone already hacked the network, and now everyone, including you, is a potential target. Your smartphone, iPhone, or Android, which uses the WiFi can be hacked as well. If you have the internet at home from a cable, DSL, or fiber-optic provider, you have a router. Your computer does not directly connect to the internet; it sends and receives data by directing it through the router. So the hacker becomes a man in the middle MITM.
Once this happened, the hacker can read all outgoing requests and incoming data using various tools that collect such data.
Also, every URL you are visiting also gets saved. There are some limitations, obviously. For instance, if the website uses the HTTPS protocol S at the end stands for Secure , all traffic is encrypted between your computer and cybercriminals will not be able to crack it in most cases.
So, if you want to avoid your data being stolen, always check that web site is using a secure protocol HTTPS. In the browsers, the secure protocol is usually displayed with a padlock icon next to the URL. When it comes to your home WiFi, there are three ways for someone outside to connect to the router:. I am going to skip the first two and instead of focus on the last one. The authentication protocol used in with WiFi router is very important.
Some hackers employ a dictionary attack to crack WPA protocol, but it takes supercomputers to hack it. So as long as you are not a celebrity or a billionaire, nobody will spend so many resources to break into your network.
One of the sure routers hacked signs is the existence of an unknown device connected to the local WiFi network. One way to find out the connected devices is through the router settings. Some routers allow us to see all connected devices and kick them out if needed. Another way is to use a network scanner app. For instance, I found a cool app called Fing. For instance, when I scanned my MacBook Pro, I found that remote desktop and screen sharing features were enabled, and anyone could connect to my Mac remotely.
While it is possible to scan and find unknown devices on the home network, this approach will not work with public WiFi networks, such as the one in Starbucks or the hotel. You would never know if the public network was compromised.
In this case, the only way to protect your privacy is to use a VPN a virtual private network. After the connection is established, all requests go to the VPN server. But the latter isn't always encrypted—a hacker can hijack your session and gain access to any private accounts you're logged into. While cybercriminals can't read your password through sidejacking, they could download malware to obtain such data, even including Skype. Furthermore, they can get plenty of information to steal your identity.
A wealth of data can be inferred from your social media presence alone. Public hotspots are especially appealing for this hack because there's typically a high percentage of users with open sessions. Standard encryption methods combat sidejacking, so a VPN will scramble information to and from your device.
As an added security measure, make sure you always log out when you're leaving a hotspot, or you risk letting a hacker continue to use your session.
With social media sites, you can at least check the locations where you're logged in then sign out remotely. This might seem obvious, but we often forget these sort of simple security measures. It's also a danger when it comes to public Wi-Fi. If someone is hovering around when you're visiting private sites, be suspicious. Don't submit anything personal like a password. It's a very basic scam, but one that certainly still works for hustlers and hackers. A "shoulder surfer" might not even need to be behind you: just watching what you type can give criminals something to work with.
Be vigilant. Know who's around you. Sometimes, paranoia can help. If you're not sure of those around you, don't go on anything private. Don't underestimate the importance of what you're filling out or reading either: medical information can be useful to identity thieves, for example. If it's a document or webpage you wouldn't want anybody else seeing, take precautions to stop that from happening. Another option is to purchase a privacy screen; these limit what people see on your screen.
The core concern with public Wi-Fi is the lack of encryption. VPNs scramble your personal information so without the correct decryption key, it can't be read in most cases, anyway. They notice that they don't get a good data signal on their phone, so they ask you if they can hop on your Wi-Fi. You, being the good neighbor you are, tell them the password.
They may have legitimate problems getting a connection, or they may have just wanted to get your password in the first place.
Either way, they now have your password stored on their phone, and they can now retrieve it later and use it for their other devices when they go back home. The solution seems easy: just don't give out your password. However, if you don't give out your password, you'll feel like a terrible host when visitors need to use your internet. The solution? Guest networks. These are "side networks" that broadcast alongside your main one.
You then give your guests the password to connect to this side network. The best bit is, you can reset the password on the guest network every so often to ensure nobody leeches off it.
And you don't need to update your password on all of your devices, because they're all connected to the main network. We've made a pretty scary case for Wi-Fi hackers so far. After all, if someone does get your password, they can use your internet connection to perform illegal actions or steal data stored on your Wi-Fi connected hard drives.
But never forget that you have the upper hand when it comes to your own router. Because it's physically located in your house, you'll always have access to it and can thwart any hacker trying to abuse your internet connection. For instance, modern-day routers can tell you how many devices are connected to it. You can see this information by logging into your router's settings and checking the network statistics. If any devices look suspicious, or there's a lot of data leaving the router where there shouldn't be, you can change the router password to lock out any hackers.
You typically need an admin username and password to access your routers settings, and the password should be different from the Wi-Fi network's. As such, the hacker can't get into the settings, leaving you free to change the password without them interfering. Even if the hacker does somehow get the admin password and locks you out, you still have physical access to the router. And a good router will have a factory reset button on it that will wipe everything the hacker does and lets you get your hardware back.
As such, you should be vigilant and protect your Wi-Fi router from hackers. However, at the same time, don't worry too much; it's easy to kick out any would-be internet thieves and get your network back. Hackers want your Wi-Fi passwords for a few reasons. Fortunately, because of how Wi-Fi signals work, only the people in your immediate vicinity have the power to use it.
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