Home and Small Business Security in Your Network
There are several strategies that can be employed for both home and professional networks. Anyone of these techniques and strategies should be considered depending on risk. First, consider a home network Service Set Identifier (SSID) technique and strategy. Home and Small Business Security in Your Network.
Mark Franks who lives in Atlanta, GA, in an apartment block has many neighbors around him. All have access to the local ISP company. Many of them leave their settings as default. These settings include the ISP Name and ISP number given to the owner. However, it is broadcast to everyone. How can he reduce his risk of being attacked?
One simple, robust idea for home networks I use is to disable the network name SSID from being broadcast at all. Mitchell in 2017 found, one of the benefits “using this technique will increase the chances that would-be intruders will bypass your network and look for easier targets elsewhere” (Mitchell, 2017). A downside is the “extra effort to manually enter SSIDs on new client devices is an inconvenience for households.”
As with all networks, owners should assess their own needs and security strategy. Furthermore, other personal and professional network solutions include ensuring firewall keeps out unwanted attacks by using best software settings and the latest patches. Also, monitor and review both incoming and outgoing traffic from time to time.
Another setup implemented is the use of a guest log in. Guest usage – allocate separate network access to any visitor or guest. Using this setup keeps visitor devices separated from the data and limiting access.
An example is denying access to actually search for files or folders on a network. Guest access endeavors to keep information safe. Guests can simply sign on to the internet only. Next, highly secure network protection.
In highly secure network environments, clients have used to maintain the security of other network devices using MAC addresses. This is “a unique identifier of their physical network card” (Constantin, 2016) Furthermore, “enabling this feature can prevent attackers from connecting to a Wi-Fi network even if they stole its password.”
However, “the downside is those manually whitelisting legitimate devices can quickly become an administrative burden on larger networks” It is all about choice versus perceived risk.
Remote usage – disable access from others. Implemented on both home and professional networks to prevent “cybercriminals won’t be able to access to your router’s privacy settings from a device not connected to your wireless network” (Cucu, 2016) This technique and strategy is simple to implement. Next, upgrading and maintain software.
Maintain network device software upgrades. This includes antivirus and malware patches and or upgrades as needed. This is a daily routine that the software is preprogrammed to do. One often overlooked a piece of software is a browser.
A browser is an attacker’s favorite access point. Zaharia, in 2016, found browsers with this message “cybercriminals use browsers as their main way to your PC” (Zaharia, 2016) She added another threat, “malicious browser add-ons” (p.1) Her source was “the researchers behind Cisco’s Annual Security Report” (p.1).
In summary, do not to run old version browsers and remove add-ons. In addition, this article was other network solution tools.
Some included using a Virtual Private Network, a proxy server, turn your firewall on, install antivirus and antimalware software, encrypt your data. These options should be considered by network owners either for home or a professional network and are the backbone of many environments today. Next, monitoring traffic over a network.
One way to manage who or what visits a network is to monitor traffic. Hackers use sophisticated software to attack networks. There are many products on offer. PC World.com has a list.“ Traffic filtering may sound like an exotic term destined for cybersecurity specialists” (p.1). Again, this sophisticated software has been deployed to both home and professional networks in a wide range of places.
In conclusion, managing a home and or professional network requires knowledge, time and effort. Monitoring these environments, learning to use and implementing preventative measures, either simple or complex is a continuing operation. Furthermore, large and small business fail to implement and protect data.
Two recent examples include Yahoo and Equifax. These companies failed customers and the general public. The latest about the Equifax horrors can be read here. Six issues include timing, inadequate patching, data not encrypted in storage, mandated quarterly security checks only, who stole the data, and this.“
Equifax made its breach notification site a separate domain because its main site wasn’t up to the task” (Newman, 2017) Our data is everywhere.
The latest threat this week affects us all. “A weakness discovered in WPA2 encryption affects almost every Wi-Fi device. Unless the flaw is patched, hackers could potentially spy on everything you do online” CNet.com
Home and Small Business Security in Your Network.
Mobile Device Threats and Security Risks article
Constantin, L. (2016, July 8). How to secure your router and home network. Retrieved from PC World.com: https://www.pcworld.com/article/3093362/how-to-secure-your-router-and-home-network.html
Cucu, P. (2016, November 10). 10 Steps to Maximize your Home Wireless Network Security [Updated]. Retrieved from Heimdal Security.com: https://heimdalsecurity.com/blog/home-wireless-network-security/
Mitchell, B. (2017, July 20). Disable SSID Broadcast to Hide Your Wi-Fi Network. Retrieved from Lifewire.com: https://www.lifewire.com/disabling-ssid-broadcast-on-wireless-routers-816569
Zaharia, A. (2016, March 23). How Traffic Filtering Can Secure your PC from Cyber Threats. Retrieved from Heimdal Security: https://heimdalsecurity.com/blog/traffic-filtering-secure-your-pc-cyber-threats/
