Although for sure it is difficult to find out if in our WiFi connection there are intruders, there are some signs that can be taken into account to shield our network. And be careful, it is not only about third parties entering your Internet connection Without permission, bank details and other personal information can also be stolen.
The first key clue, according to Roberto Martínez, an investigator at the security company Kasperski, is the slowness or intermittent disconnection of your Wi-Fi.
“The most visible form is degradation in performance. If the number of connections or the amount of bandwidth you are using exceeds the average without there being a technical problem, it is an indication that can set off alarms”, warned the expert.
However, that would not be a confirmation that the network has been “hacked”, says José Félix Vega, a professor in the Department of Electronic Engineering at the National University.
“The decrease in effective speed is the first indication, but it is not a confirmation that an unauthorized entry has occurred in our network. Faced with this alert, it is important to take other measures that require tools to explore. And, for this, there are many applications available in stores”, explained the professor.
In that sense, the most popular mobile platform is Fing, available for free for iOS and Android, which allows you to know which devices are connected to your network. The app also offers the possibility of configuring alerts that notify of any strange movement.
Likewise, there are platforms such as Wifi Inspector and WiFi Router Master. “When you have the program installed, turn off the appliances in your house. Look who is left connected and if there are unidentified devices, it means that your network has been hacked, “said Vega.
Configure the ‘router’
Another way to find out which devices are connected to your Wi-Fi is by entering your router settings, said Lucas Paus, from Eset Latin America.
“One of the main steps to strengthen our security is to confirm that our router is configured in the WPA2 protocol. To make sure, it is necessary to enter its settings. Once you are in the options menu, you can also find out which devices are connected to your network”, explained Paus.
To access your network settings, please note that “it is usually possible to access the router settings by through the code 192.168.1.1, that must be typed from the web browser he added. When you do, the platform will respond that you must enter a username and password.
However, José Félix Vega, the specialist from the National University, believes that it is necessary for users to contact their service provider to carry out this process.
“It is opportune to call the company that provides the internet service, since each of the companies has different processes. When you communicate, request access to the modem settings. In fact, some providers can tell you how many computers are connected to your wifi networkVega said. Remember that the modem configuration is found in the user manual that comes with the device.
Another clue to know if your internet signal is being stolen is through the activity of the router, explained researcher Roberto Martínez, from Kaspersky. “If you have your computer, tablet or cell phone turned off, the light on the router should not be on. Activity should be minimal. But you don’t have to trust yourself because if the criminal is not connected at that moment, he will go unnoticed,” said Martínez.
change key
Without a doubt, the safest way to expel intruders and strengthen the security of routers is to periodically change passwords.
“Usually the vendor ships the equipment with a pre-filled password, and people don’t take the time to change those codes. If it is changed, the risk will surely decrease”, explained Martínez.
For this, passwords with digits greater than 16 characters and that combine letters, numbers and symbols are recommended. This process can be done by accessing the modem settings.
wifi theft Through password theft it is quite common, specialists warn, because there are even applications that are designed to obtain network keys. With this, the cybercriminals they can have access to all the information stored on the devices, or, in fact, generate attacks with the name of their network.
CAMILO PEÑA CASTAÑEDA
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