My husband set up our wifi network so you have to actually type in the network name and of course the password but it doesn't show visible on the list of available open/close wifi in the vicinity. He says it's so that it will be more difficult for hackers to get into our wifi. My question is, is it that easy to hack into someone's wifi network and isn't it still possible for people to get into our "hidden" wifi network if they really wanted to?
Is it difficult for people to "hack" into wifi?
- Thread starter Sharon
- Start date
Gamer Outpost
Resident
Having a hidden SSID won't really protect you against hackers. If someone knows how to hack a WiFi network, he/she will probably know how to view hidden networks as well.
The best thing for you to do is make sure you have a WPA2 encrypted network password. It's the standard these days, even though many people are still using WEP and the original WPA.
The best thing for you to do is make sure you have a WPA2 encrypted network password. It's the standard these days, even though many people are still using WEP and the original WPA.
froggyboy604
Seasoned Veteran
It is difficult for most people to hack Wi-Fi, but there are a lot of free Wi-Fi hacking tutorials which are easy to find on YouTube, Google, and other search engines and hacking programs which people can use for free to hack Wi-Fi which make hacking Wi-Fi a lot easier.
froggyboy604
Seasoned Veteran
I read that there is also MAC(not related to Apple Mac OS) Address filterning which only let devices which you entered the MAC address use.
MAC filtering is a hassle if you have a lot of Wi-Fi devices, or you let your guests like friends and family members use your Wi-Fi.
Also, lowering your Wi-Fi antennae broadcasting power to low or medium will prevent your Wi-Fi from going too far where people from blocks away from your home can connect to it. But, lowering your Wi-Fi antennae broadcast channel may make your connection slower.
It is also a good idea to use a VPN like http://www.hotspotshield.com/ when using the internet, so your computer, tablet, and other Wi-Fi devices are protected by a virtual private network which protects your devices connection online.
I heard there was a recent security problem called Heartbleed which affected routers, websites, and other internet devices, so a secure VPN which is not vulnerable to heartbleed can protect you from Heart Bleed.
Using TOR(The Onion Router) @ https://www.torproject.org/ will also protect your privacy when online.
MAC filtering is a hassle if you have a lot of Wi-Fi devices, or you let your guests like friends and family members use your Wi-Fi.
Also, lowering your Wi-Fi antennae broadcasting power to low or medium will prevent your Wi-Fi from going too far where people from blocks away from your home can connect to it. But, lowering your Wi-Fi antennae broadcast channel may make your connection slower.
It is also a good idea to use a VPN like http://www.hotspotshield.com/ when using the internet, so your computer, tablet, and other Wi-Fi devices are protected by a virtual private network which protects your devices connection online.
I heard there was a recent security problem called Heartbleed which affected routers, websites, and other internet devices, so a secure VPN which is not vulnerable to heartbleed can protect you from Heart Bleed.
Using TOR(The Onion Router) @ https://www.torproject.org/ will also protect your privacy when online.
froggyboy604
Seasoned Veteran
I also heard it is pretty easy to spoof a MAC address with software which spoof MACs.
Using Static I.P. addresses, and limiting the number of devices which can connect qt once with certain Static I.P. can also prevent connections from un-wanted wifi hackers.
Static I.P. addresses like 192.168.0.101 are kind of a hassle to setup if you have many devices, and guests like friends and family also use your wireless connections.
Maybe it is just best just to unplug your wireless router when you are not using it, or turning off Wifi in the settings. Most routers also have Wifi logs in the router settings to see if any devices you don't recognize have connected to your network, or wireless network, so if you see devices you don't recognize, it means you been hack, and it is time to change your password, SSID username, and improve your security.
Using Static I.P. addresses, and limiting the number of devices which can connect qt once with certain Static I.P. can also prevent connections from un-wanted wifi hackers.
Static I.P. addresses like 192.168.0.101 are kind of a hassle to setup if you have many devices, and guests like friends and family also use your wireless connections.
Maybe it is just best just to unplug your wireless router when you are not using it, or turning off Wifi in the settings. Most routers also have Wifi logs in the router settings to see if any devices you don't recognize have connected to your network, or wireless network, so if you see devices you don't recognize, it means you been hack, and it is time to change your password, SSID username, and improve your security.
froggyboy604
Seasoned Veteran
I agree, it is best to use a wired connection for stuff like banking since a lot of mobile operating systems on Smartphones, and tablets could be unsafe to use because of Apps with permissions which can read your personal info, and other stuff on your mobile.
It is also harder to hack a wired connection. Desktop operating systems like OpenBSD, UNIX, and Linux are very secure, and harder to hack.
It is also harder to hack a wired connection. Desktop operating systems like OpenBSD, UNIX, and Linux are very secure, and harder to hack.
There are lot of youtube videos providing tutorials to hack wifi.Actually it is very easier to hack wifi with low strength passwords.Even I am going to learn it now.Safety measures must be keep high while setting up your wifi, otherwise it will definitely get hacked by any person.
froggyboy604
Seasoned Veteran
Is Wi-Fi hacking a big problem these days now that a lot of coffee shop, library, school, and stores offer free Wi-Fi for its users, and Unlimited or high bandwidth limit mobile data is cheap if you are on a family plan, a long term customer or you live in Asia, and Europe where unlimited mobile data cost less?
The speeds on hacked Wi-Fi will most likely be very slow because I notice my Wi-Fi speeds drop to 1-5Mbps or lose signals once I walk many rooms or floors away from my home Wi-Fi router.
The speeds on hacked Wi-Fi will most likely be very slow because I notice my Wi-Fi speeds drop to 1-5Mbps or lose signals once I walk many rooms or floors away from my home Wi-Fi router.
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