A Majority of Home Wi-Fi Routers Are at Risk of Hacking

You may not give a lot of thought to the security of your Wi-Fi router. But technology and malware have evolved rapidly over the past few decades, which means that the security of your home router is much more important than it used to be. Think of all of the smart devices that you (and everyone else) have connected to your router now — a smart speaker or assistant, TVs, appliances, phones, tablets, and etc. If an insecure router can be easily hacked, then all of your smart devices are at risk of being hacked, too.

Then, think of all of the personal information and data that you have on many of these devices, such as account information, banking information, and other personal data. If your router isn’t properly protected, a hacker can easily gain access to all of this information and use it for malicious purposes. That’s why it’s important to make sure that your Wi-Fi router is secure. This can be accomplished through the following safe practices and regularly checking the security of your network. Click here to use DFNDR’s Wi-Fi Check to check your DNS and network security:

Recent reports have indicated that about 80% of home Wi-Fi routers are insecure. There are a few reasons that these routers are more susceptible to hacking. These include poor passwords, outdated models, lax consumer attitudes towards tech security, and manufacturers neglecting security concerns.

First of all, Wi-Fi routers aren’t secure by default. They are often made cheaply to be accessible, but that often means that manufacturers neglect the security of their routers. This goes for default passwords, too — few people actually change their password from the default password that comes with the router. This is a dangerous practice, because it makes it much easier for a hacker to guess your password.

Additionally, if people do change the password on their router, they often choose something easy that they can remember — something that can be easily guessed. Many use a password that’s related to their home address, phone number, or name.

Further, routers have changed a lot over the last several years. Many older models are not secure enough to be used today. They may not receive necessary software updates or security patches, which are crucial for any device connected to the Internet. If you have an outdated Wi-Fi router, then it’s time to get an updated model that is more secure. Not sure about the security or age of your model? Look it up online and see how it compares to other models in terms of security.