Has Your Wireless Router Been Hacked?

My past experience is that your ISP will not help you with any wireless router issues, settings or troubleshooting UNLESS they are the owners of the router. Find a friend who knows his stuff about these devices or possibly contact the router manufacturer for assistance. But above all else, lock it down, use encryption and if you must share the encryption key with anyone, be sure that it goes nowhere else. Probably a good idea to change it occasionally as well.

What is the best security setup for my home wifi?

I believe that the problem is that the vast majority of users haven't the foggiest idea of what they are doing with their computers, whether its setting up a firewall, having an up-to-date anti-virus (Or any anti-virus for that matter)and having a person who uses the wireless connection on your router, log in with a password. Users who do NOT practice safe communications, such as these basic three, should NOT be allowed on the internet!

Bob has gone Fred Langa! Ask him the time and he will tell you how to build a grandfather clock with your teeth and a springer spaniel.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Okay, this article was a little tech heavy... But it's important stuff, and the instructions can't be easily generalized from one router to another. I think by now most ISPs do configure these things correctly. But if users buy their own router equipment and install on their own, they need to know how to do it safely.

At least Bob is making people aware of what COULD happen and I'm sure over half don't have a clue but there are ways to get it done. Sorta like when your toilet leaks...if you can't fix it....CALL THE PLUMBER!

There was no need for that nasty swipe at Fred Langa who I have read and enjoyed for years.Bob is trying to explain a fairly complicated procedure that can't be done in just a few words.I the problem is as Tom described that many users are just not up to snuff on this stuff.When I walk the dog I use my Iphone and sometimes run the Wi-Fi locator program. First it works amazingly well annd secondly it is very scary how many Lynksys or Belkin's you find.Totally open that I hop onto to download my mail while the dog pees.You could go War Walking with the I phone!

If you don't understand how to fool with the settings on your router from within the admin page, just Google your router's name and model number, and you'll find tons of help. Add words like manual or pdf to find the user manual; add words like login or help to find help about specific activities.

I don't think this article was tech heavy, just not long enough. But honestly, computers are not appliances; you can't just plug them in and use them like a refrigerator or a microwave. Like a car, they need occasional maintenance. And even a fridge needs care; I wonder how many people clean the coils and the gaskets? :)

Bob's note in "canoe" comment is bang on. It applies almost entirely to shared cable connections, and wifi networks set up with store bought brand name routers. If your ISP provides DSL hookups, you will not be compromised.

Secondly, even if I'm not a Langa fan boy, the rare couple of articles I've bookmarked are written in lay terms aimed at the non-tech savvy audience. His biggest fault (if you want to call it one) is that he's long winded and self admiring.

Yes, it was a little tech heavy for me. I admit I am computer savvy, but not very savvy when it comes to routers and modems. I use Comcast and so I have to trust them. One thing I do is unplug my router when I am not online. Maybe dinosaur behavior, may not be enough but I can rely on all of you to update me! Thanks.

If routers were more frequently left open smart devices like ipods etc that use wifi would have better access. May not be feasible in big cities but in smaller cities I think it would be good, too many fear mongering articles like this one ie ONE guy had a problem so everyone should lock up, reduces the availability of wifi for those on the go. After all not everyone is a freaking hacker.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Couldn't you make the same argument about why people should leave the car keys in the ignition, just in case someone needs to borrow it? Or leave the front door unlocked, just in case someone wants to sack out on your couch for a while? Keep in mind that in some states, it's actually *illegal* to mooch an open wifi signal.

Well, now, I have used an open connection at a local McDonalds, there is one at my local Starbucks, there is even an open connection for guests at the community hospital, which I used a lot when my wife had surgery. We need open connections in these situations, as a service to the community.

Making a person liable for an open connection when they have no idea how to close it is just wrong. I agree with Bob about leaving keys in the ignition, and you really need to secure your router, but the FBI should be chasing down the kiddie p**n wacko (and using the open connection as bait) instead of hammering on some poor slob who is simply NOT tech savvy. They should be able to figure this out before terrorizing an innocent (and naive) citizen!

Plus, the manuals for most routers just tell us how to hook them up, and do not make it a point to tell us how to lock them down or how it is important to do so.

Thanks to Bob for putting the details for router security into this article. As news stories and field experience indicate, the net is now a playground for organized (and unorganized) crime, and the more we know, the better.

It is precisely the over-general, cosmetic treatment of a technical topic that drives away readers, and serves little purpose. We see that cosmetic approach every day with the health forums, where detailed discussion is almost never the case.

I get inquiries frequently from people who have no idea their neighbor's teenage son could be using their internet connection. Simply looking over nearby networks before logging into one's own reveals many broadcasting networks are completely unsecured. Many users simply open the box and plug everything in, hoping for the best.

Security experts already have established an intruder who penetrates your network can bring malware along with him-- by design or accident. The man whose router had been hacked probably was unknowingly part of a botnet of computers used by criminals as rebroadcast points for distribution.

Network penetration techniques used by hackers, although obscure and passed along through criminal circles, are not hard to learn and utilize.

You mentioned that we should ask ISP for help with changing the router settings. Cox suggested that they may be getting DNSChanger reports because of my router. When I asked them what online help material they had on router security and privacy settings, I was instructed to - get this - go look on youtube! Clearly Cox Communications is not the kind of ISP you were referring to.

I have a question, and this is because i am being accused of doing something well beyond my skill level. Is it possible with a windstream sagemcom dsl modem/router to determine how the wireless was turned off. They think i hacked into the router and did this.. I really need to prove this wasn't me. is there something maybe in the logs or is it even possible. Keeping in mind the router had already been changed from the default Username and password to something else when it was set up. and if it it possible for it to have been remotely instead of with a computer directly connected to the device as i know that did not happen because i was in the house the whole day.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I'm not familiar with that router, but it may have a log showing the IP addresses that logged in.

I laugh at people who say use MAC filtering because you can spoof the MAC address of any device connected to the network and still gain access.

The internet is a crazy place. Not only do marketers and advertisers follow your every move, there are hackers and scammers lurking in the dark corners, ready to pounce on your personal information.

At least marketers and advertisers want to make money off of you. The hackers and scammers I'm talking about, on the other hand, just want to flat out steal your money by way of stealing your personal information.best wireless routers 2017