Securing your home network

This can be quite an involved subject - I'm hoping to provide a "primer" here for the uninitiated and keep it easy to follow.

To start off, let's define some common terms: Network - any collection of two or more devices that can communicate with each other.

Here, we're talking about "Local Area" networks or LANs (such as the network of computers in your home).

Router and/or modem - the device that connects your home to a "Wide Area" network or WAN (in other words - the internet), usually via a telephone line or cable connection.

Firewall - this prevents unwanted data from the internet getting onto your network.

This is very important.

Broadband - your data connection to the outside world.

It's usually called ADSL, DSL or CableDSL by your "Internet Service Provider" or ISP.

WAN IP - the numerical address used by network equipment to identify devices on the internet.

LAN IP - the numerical address used by network equipment to identify devices on a Local Area network.

Okay, that's that bit out of the way - let's discuss specifics.

If you have a computer at home, connected to the internet (which means you also have another network device) - then you have a home network.

They can be either open (unsecured) or closed (secured).

So - why is an open network a bad thing? An open network is prey to all sorts of "exploits".

People can "sniff" an open network to obtain files that are stored there, or they can infect computers (running Windows) on the network with "malware" - tiny programs that can use your computer to send masses of unsolicited email (SPAM)to other people, or email your address book, passwords and other private information back to the creator.

These programs are known as viruses, trojans, bots, and by many other names.

If you want to be sure that your computers are not infected with any malware (and keep them that way), you should use anti-virus software.

I always recommend open-source and free to use software - take a look at www.clamxav.com for Macs (not that there's currently any malware that can infect a Mac) or www.clamwin.com for Windows machines (for which there are over 100,000 known pieces of malware).

Also - your WAN IP address is unique to your internet connection.

Some WAN IP addresses are fixed (a static IP), and some change on a rotating basis (a dynamic IP).

Whichever is applicable to your internet connection, this IP address can be used to locate your physical address.

If someone is using your internet connection to view questionable content or engage in illegal activity online, then it is you the police will visit - because it is your connection.

So - how to secure, or close, your home network? First of all, make sure both your firewalls are turned on.

"Both?" you say? Yes, both:

1.

Your router or modem will probably have a firewall built in (called a hardware firewall).

This will usually be accessible from a web browser - you'll need to go to the local webpage your wireless router or modem provides for administration.

Its address is usually something like http://192.168.0.1 - look at the manual that came with it if you don't know.

Once you're logged in, (again, look at the manual for login details), find the section called "Firewall" and turn it on.

The default settings are usually fine for most situations.

2.

Find your computers' main settings (System Preferences on a Mac, Control Panel on a Windows machine) and locate the firewall there (called a software firewall).

Again, turn it on - most of the time the default settings are fine.

That's the basics out of the way.

Now - wireless networks.

A wireless network can be a very useful addition to your home, allowing you to access the internet and your other computers from anywhere in your house without having to worry about running more cables.

However, the signal your wireless router produces typically covers a much greater area than just the inside of your property, and this raises the possibility of it being accessed by other people - without your knowledge.

Unfortunately, most wireless routers are configured to provide a wireless network "out of the box" without any security.

A surprising number of people simply leave the default settings as they are, allowing neighbours or passers-by to access their network freely.

The best way to keep your wireless network private is to secure it with data encryption.

Again, login to your router or modem (or other device that provides the wireless network) and locate "Wireless Security" or similar.

You'll want to turn wireless security on and give it a password that can't be guessed - a combination of letters and numbers is best.

If you have a choice of encryption types (WEP, WPA, etc.) go for WPA if it's available.

Failing that, WEP will do.

Remember, once the settings are applied you will need to put that password into any wireless computers in your house before they can connect again.

If you have turned on wireless security from a computer connected to the wireless network, you'll lose your connection to the network on that machine too until you re-join it and enter the password.

And that's pretty much it! If you do the above, you're better secured than most.

I hope this helps some people secure their home networks - I live in the centre of Brighton and am constantly surprised (appalled!) by the number of unsecured networks in the area.

This article was first published in Regency Magazine.