5 Tips for Protecting Your Home Network and Devices

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Privacy, Technology and Perspective

5 Tips for Protecting Your Home Network and Devices. This week, we return to a popular topic, offering practical advice about how to protect your privacy and data.  Since we are now spending more time online than ever, it is time to take a harder look at our home network and devices.

1.    Passwords – Let’s start with a word about passwords and password managers:

·       Strong passwords: Every device that is connected to your home network should be protected by a strong, unique password.  A strong password should be at least 10 characters, but 12 characters or more are even better. It should include a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, as well as numbers and symbols.  Make sure that your passwords are unique—don’t recycle passwords.

·       Password Managers: To keep track of all of your passwords, consider using a password manager (e.g. LastPass, Keeper, Dashline, 1Password), which not only will store your passwords, but will generate strong passwords, autofill those passwords, and even help you auto-login to your accounts.  To learn about how password managers secure your passwords, click on the following link:

https://www.howtogeek.com/445274/how-safe-are-password-managers/

In addition, you can click this link that follows to read a recent Tom’s Guide article on the best password managers of 2020:

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-password-managers,review-3785.html

2.    Use two-factor authentication – For an additional layer of security, chose to use two-factor authentication (2FA) where you can, especially for your online accounts—for example, your Amazon, Dropbox and bank account—that contain sensitive information. Hardware-based 2FA is becoming more common, but even using a second method of authentication such as a fingerprint, PIN, or another “trusted device” for additional verification provides an added layer of security in the event that your password is compromised. You can click on the following link for specific instructions on how to enable 2FA on some of the accounts you may have:

https://duo.com/decipher/guide-to-keeping-your-online-accounts-secure

3.    Secure your Wi-Fi router – How old is your Wi-Fi router? (You should replace your router at least every few years since firmware is not always updated by the manufacturer on older routers). Does your router have an auto-update feature? (It should).  Are you sharing your router with your family or others? (If so, you should consider creating a dedicated guest/segregated network).  Be sure to change your router’s default settings, including the router’s default password, name/SSID, and wireless network password.  Make sure that you have turned on your router’s firewall and encryption using a strong password.  Currently, WPA2 is the strongest home encryption (Don’t use WEP).  You can click the following link to read a recent article from PC Magazine on the best routers of 2020:

 https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-wireless-routers

4.    Encrypt your hard drive – If you have sensitive data on your devices, you will want to deploy full-disk encryption, which will make data unreadable if your device falls into the wrong hands.

For a Mac (OS X Lion or later), use FileVault:

·       Choose Apple menu () > System Preferences, then click Security & Privacy.

·       Click the FileVault tab.

·       Click the icon of a lock, then enter an administrator name and password.

·       Click Turn On FileVault.

For a PC, you have the choice to enable encryption with Windows 10 or you can use Microsoft's BitLocker:

·       Choose Control Panel > System and Security > Bitlocker Drive Encryption.

·       Click Turn on Bitlocker.

For more information about how to encrypt your PC, click on the following link:

https://www.howtogeek.com/234826/how-to-enable-full-disk-encryption-on-windows-10/

5.    Use a VPN – A virtual private network (e.g. ExpressVPN, Surfshark, NordVPN) protects your privacy and your network data by hiding your IP address and encrypting your data in transit so that it will be secure and unreadable.  To learn more about how VPNs work, you can click on the following link to read an article from Wired Magazine:

https://www.wired.com/2017/03/want-use-vpn-protect-privacy-start/

You can then click on this link to read CNET’s reviews of the best commercial VPN services pf 2020:

https://www.cnet.com/news/best-vpn-service-of-2020/

Do remember: we don’t endorse, recommend, or make representations with respect to any services or products referenced herein.  What we do recommend is that you harness your attention and diligence to considering what devices and data that you and your family have, and how you are securing them.  

And as bonus, we offer this:

Make sure you aren’t using your default settings, and that you are regularly updating all of your devices when updates are available (auto-updates are best).  Also, consider reading the following article, which warns about why you should not rely on “free” services for VPNs when it comes to privacy and security, and which can (and, we think, should) be read more broadly as a warning that applies to all “free” services:

https://www.cnet.com/how-to/best-free-vpns-5-reasons-why-they-dont-exist/

For more practical tips about protecting your privacy, visit our previous Privacy Plus+ posts, entitled “Help Us Help You.” For your convenience, links to those posts follow:

https://www.hoschmorris.com/privacy-plus-news/privacy-plus-help-us-help-you-protect-your-privacy

https://www.hoschmorris.com/privacy-plus-news/privacy-plus-help-us-help-you-again

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Hosch & Morris, PLLC is a Dallas-based boutique law firm dedicated to data protection, privacy, the Internet and technology. Open the Future℠.