Four urgent steps to secure your WiFi network now!

Nearly 1/3 of people have tried to get on a Wi-Fi network that wasn't theirs (Wi-Fi Alliance survey).  Now if you're wondering "So, what's the problem?", the risk could be much greater than you think.  One person abusing your network can turn your life into chaos that can take months to undo.

Can you imagine a team of gun-toting law-enforcement agents invading your home, taking your computers and wireless devices, and accusing you of downloading massive amounts of child pornography!  That's exactly what happened to one innocent homeowner.  As it turns out, his 25-year old neighbor that had  tapped into his wireless network was the guilty party. 

The damage could have been equally as ugly if the neighbor had illegally downloaded music and movies and other copyrighted materials.  You've read the lawsuits about how horrific the legal pursuit and lawsuits are if anyone downloads copyrighted materials without paying.  And how awful would you life become if the neighbor could access files with names and passwords to get into your banking accounts, credit cards, and your retirement accounts.

The best defense is a good offense.  Here are four ways to secure your Wi-Fi network in your home:

1. Set Wi-Fi for the highest level of security--both on the PC and the router.
2. Create strong passwords--8 characters, mixing caps and lower case, numbers, and symbols
3. Don't send sensitive data (like your checking account information) on "Hot Spot" public networks.
4. Turn off the file sharing capability if you share private information between computers.

Read more about securing your network at: http://www.cio.com/article/681170/Home_Wi_Fi_Network_Security_4_Ways_to_Avoid_Big_Trouble?source=CIONLE_nlt_insider_2011-05-03

Respectfully submitted
Jaclyn Kostner, Ph.D., the Distance Doctor at Bridge the Distance, http://www.distance.com/, 303.791.1515
Providing training to enrich human communication when people are NOT face to face